Harbingers
by Avarianus
Summary: None of them had ever wanted this. Kronos was bad enough as an enemy, but in a time when Zeus' paranoia reaches new heights, Percy and his friends are left without a choice. But no demigod escapes Olympus forever and when a goddess and a friend get captured by the enemies of Olympus, even the shunned have to take action... AU Sequel to Trials of the Sea
1. I

**Alright, many of you have been waiting for the next story in my Champion of the Sun series. My word still stands that I will only start updating more regularly at the end of this year, but I have decided to give you the first chapter a bit early. Why? Because my fans here are awesome! No matter how many idiots try to insult me and get me to stop writing, there are at least ten great people who encourage me for every idiot. So as a small summer present I give you the beginning of the end, the first chapter of Harbinger...**

 **Have fun...**

* * *

"Tell me how exactly we have ended up here... again?" Percy asked, as he sat next to Zoe in the office of the headmaster.

"That pig had it coming," Zoe replied stubbornly.

They had both spent the last twenty minutes waiting for the headmaster to arrive, after an altercation during their last break. He knew that Zoe had her fair share of trouble with the other students at the high school, but this was already the sixth time she had to see the headmaster this month. And he always had to accompany her, if only to make sure that she wouldn't take offense when any member of the faculty punished her for what she calls justified acts of self-defense.

"And what did you break this time?"

"It is not my fault that his nose broke from that punch. I've hit you harder than that and you did not even wince. Mortal boys are wimps, despite their claims to be strong and powerful." Zoe looked at him in indignation, before she turned away and looked out of the window.

They spent the rest of their wait in silence, until the door opened and the headmaster entered. The man frowned, as he saw Zoe, a natural reaction for the man. He had visible aged ever since Zoe had joined the school... which has only happened three months prior.

"Another fight, Ms. Nightshade," The man said, "This time I will have no choice but to suspend you."

"Is that really necessary, sir?" Percy asked, when he saw that Zoe was not willing to answer the man, let alone acknowledge his presence.

"Yes, Mr. Jackson, it is. I have also contacted your family about her behavioral problems." Percy had to gulp when he heard that. He wondered what family this man had actually talked to... he prayed that it wasn't Apollo, he would only create an even greater mess. "Believe me, I don't punish her out of spite, but should she continue on this path, her whole future will be in jeopardy. She is on a path that will inevitably lead to her self-destruction."

The door suddenly opened again and one of the secretaries entered, followed by another woman. It took Percy another moment, before he realized who this woman was.

"Ah, it is good to finally meet you Mrs Jackson." The headmaster greeted her, "I am sorry that we had to ask you to come on such short notice, but your ward has caused us trouble to no end."

"I understand your reasons, but keep in mind that Zoe has come from... a difficult environment, before we have taken her in. My dear children try to help her adjust, but we can only do so much."

Percy only watched the exchange with a look of utter disbelief. Of all the persons, she had come. But why? This would not bode well for anyone involved. As soon as they would be out of earshot of any mortal, Zoe would explode. He could already see how much she had to fight her urge to throttle the woman, who had come to impersonate Percy's mother.

There she stood, in all her glory, the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Her hair a pitch black this time, her eyes resembling Percy's so eerily that he was stunned. But the aura of power and the sweet scent left no doubt about who she really was, not that the poor mortal before he would have any chance to find out the truth. The moment she had entered the room she had him hooked and under her spell.

"Yes... but please understand that this is the third offense... this week." The headmaster said weakly. "And it is only Tuesday."

"Oh, but please consider abstaining from punishing the poor girl. I will see to it that she amends her conduct properly. Just let me handle this." Aphrodite coerced him sweetly.

"Very well. If she can promise to behave from now on..."

"Oh, she will. Trust me." Aphrodite assured the man. "We will take our leave then." The man merely nodded, as the goddess guided Percy and Zoe out of the room. The moment they were undisturbed, she even used the chance and grabbed Percy, only to disappear with him in a bright flash. Only Zoe stayed behind, more pissed than ever.

Percy knew he should have been surprised about Aphrodite's sudden kidnapping attempt, but he was used to be pushed and pulled around by his godly family, that he could hardly bring himself to show more than mild annoyance.

"Ah, so much better. I hate schools. So little room to express yourself. Not to mention the stiff huntress was not willing to share," The goddess said. She sounded giddy like a child on a sugar rush.

Percy merely watched her, waiting patiently for her to finish whatever monologue she had no doubt prepared to explain herself. But he realized that she looked different know. Her hair had changed from black to a honey colored blonde and her eyes were now a brilliant shade of blue. Not to mention that she looked younger. Why did she look younger now? He shuddered as a feeling of dread took hold of him.

"Why so silent, my dear Percy? Are you not happy to see me?"

"That depends... mother!" He replied stoically.

The goddess giggled. "So that is how you want to play? Fine by me, my dear." She grabbed him and hugged him tightly to her chest. She had grown again, so much that she now towered over him and pressed his face directly into her ample bosom.

Only with great effort Percy could avoid suffocating and free himself from her hold, his face red and eyes wide open. "Just what is your problem? Why have you brought me here?"

"To reward you, my dear Perseus," Aphrodite replied with a sultry voice.

"What?"

"You, my dear, are the reason why our all lives have become fascinating once more. So much intrigue. So many schemes and quarrels. So much passion. You deserve a reward for this. And I am more than willing to give you the best reward a growing boy at your age could ask for. A first time to remember for the rest of your life," She slowly came closer to him, her hips swaying enticingly.

"Are you insane? I am not even fourteen and you are..."

"I am whatever you want me to be, Perseus."

"I want you gone."

She laughed, clearly doubting the shred of conviction he had mustered to show. "No you don't." Her voice suddenly sounded so much more seductive... so sweet and promising. Only belatedly he realized that she was using her charm speak on him. He had trouble to resist her, but eventually he managed to ignore the seductive magic of the goddess.

It only enraged Aphrodite in the process. "Why must you be so damn stubborn! Why can't you just accept this gift, the gift that so many men would willingly give their lives for?" She snarled, "Ah. I see it now. How could I have missed it. There have been so many powerful people messing with your fate, I would have nearly missed it. There is someone else... but who?"

Percy wasn't really sure what the goddess was talking about and at this point he did not really care. All he wanted was to get away from the crazy woman and return home for a long and restful nap. But that would not be easy. He was wary of using his powers. It would draw unwanted attention to him. Zeus had sent out his spies to search for the powers of Poseidon. But he had to escape... oh how he cursed this meddling goddess.

"No matter. When I am done, you will see only me..." She wanted to grab him, but before she had the chance, several arrows shot past her, so close to her head that she was sure that the tips must have cut off some of her hair. "What now? What troublesome huntress has come to bother me this time?" Aphrodite growled angrily. "Is this you, Artemis?"

Artemis... another family member he was not so keen on meeting anytime soon. He knew that she hates Aphrodite, but would that be enough to get her to safe him? She was officially appointed as his guardian, but so far she had never made an appearance, no matter how dire his situation.

A woman appeared near them, though she was not who Percy had expected to see here. "Ms Leonard?" He asked, his eyes wide in surprise. Why was his P.E. teacher here, a bow in her hand, a quiver strapped to her hip?

"Who are you?" Aphrodite demanded to know, "Are you one of Artemis' little misfits?"

"I would advise you to leave," the huntress said calmly, as she readied another arrow.

"Do you really think you can beat me, foolish girl?"

"Unlikely," the huntress admitted, "But I can draw enough attention to this place to lure someone here who will beat you to a bloody pulp. Someone who can possibly even make you fade. So I would advise you to leave my student alone. I don't take idly to immortals threatening the children under my care."

The goddess stared at the huntress for some long, tense moments, before her expression turned furious once more. "I will get my revenge for this, girl. You will be punished for your interference in my fun..."

"I serve higher powers than you. You do not frighten me, goddess."

"We will see." Aphrodite growled in return. "And you, Percy, I will come back for you."

Percy allowed himself a deep breath, as the goddess was finally gone. Her relentless use of her charm speak was taxing on him and he could feel the beginnings of a headache. But he had did not have the luxury of time at the moment. There was still another, unknown immortal near.

"Who are you really," He finally asked his teacher, as he summoned his sword from the amulet around his neck. But the teacher looked rather unimpressed by the weapon, despite the flames dancing around Sunreaver's blade.

She smiled kindly at him, which was quite odd to see, since he usually ended up on her bad side during her lessons. "I am Atalante, daughter of King Iasus of Arcadia, companion of Jason and Meleager... but that was another life, long ago. Now I roam this world, doing whatever I feel worthy of my time."

"And who do you serve?" Her words were still disconcerting. She said that she served a power that could destroy Aphrodite. A bold claim to be sure.

"The mother, my curious student. But don't be alarmed, I mean you no harm and I have no intention to interfere with your life more than I have done today." The mother... Rhea... so she had still not given up on him. This would be troublesome in the near future, that much was assured.

"Thank you," Percy finally said. He did not trust this woman. He would be foolish to trust any immortal he knew so little about. Her name was familiar, but he could not remember where he had heard it before. But she saved him today, so he would give her the benefit of a doubt and would not consider her an enemy on default.

"You are welcome." Atalante said, "You should return home now. You are in no condition to finish your lessons."

"Yeah... but how am I supposed to get home?"

"The suburbs begin about a mile in that direction. If you run, you can be home before your friends get out of school."

"Run?"

"Yes. You need the training. Demigods these days are hardly fit enough to handle the dangers of our world." Atalante lamented. Then she ran away.

"Damn she is fast..." Percy muttered. A mile to get to the suburbs... depending on which suburb, this could possibly take him at least another hour to get back home... oh how he hated it when the gods and goddesses make his life a hassle.

* * *

"Gone?" Apollo asked, his voice almost a high shriek, as he could not fully hide his shocked surprise at this piece of information, which his family had hidden from him so far. "What do you mean my sister is gone?"

"It is as I tell you, you imbecile," Athena shot back, putting on a withering glare just for good measure. "Artemis has been missing for months now. The girls who had been with her have been found... slaughtered, all of them. Cut in half by someone or something."

Had Apollo not been so shocked by this revelation, he would have done something about the insult, but wounded pride was not important right now. His sister had been missing for months! Some of her Hunters had been killed! How could this have happened? Who would have the strength and audacity to attack one of Zeus beloved daughters? He sighed. The answer was obvious. Kronos and his servants. One of his allies must have acted when everyone was distracted by Percy's shenanigans with Scylla and Charybdis...

"Father has given you very specific orders regarding this situation, Apollo. You would do well to follow these orders very closely, unless you wish to continue on your deviant path," Athena spat, pouring all her condescension for her brother into her voice. There was no love left between these siblings, after all Apollo's champion had done, after Apollo had defended each and every transgression made by Perseus Jackson.

"If that man has orders for me, he should tell me in person!" the sun god hissed back.

Athena laughed mockingly at him, her face a twisted grimace of mock pity and condescension. "Do you really believe that you are worthy of standing in the same room with our father? You, who has betrayed us, who has trained a demigod, a child of the Big Three no less, to act as your weapon."

"A weapon? Have you lost your mind, Athena? You are mad, blinded by your hatred for the boy's father!"

"And our father is blind as well? You claimed that Kronos is rising once more, yet all anomalies, all so called attacks and threats started with the appearance of your champion. He is the anomaly. He is the threat the prophecy has warned us of! He will dethrone our father and destroy Olympus!"

Now it was Apollo's turn to laugh. A bitter laugh, bar of any humor. "You are a fool! That prophecy no longer applies to Percy, he..."

"Yes. You said so. It no longer applies to him, because he is your champion, oath bound to serve you loyally for the rest of his mortal life. How very convenient for him... and you," Athena spat.

Apollo was astounded how blind his family had become, how much their fear of a prophecy had blinded them to all but a single demigod, who had grown more powerful than his peers. They could not see the bigger picture. They had no idea. Why were they so blind? Why had Rhea not put an end to this madness. Surely Zeus would have listened to his beloved mother. He would have believed her, believed that Kronos was indeed the true threat at hand.

But the Titan Queen had remained silent. Unseen by all but a chosen few. She, too, had her plans for Percy... and for him as well, Apollo remembered bitterly. Could it be that she had her own plans for this conflict? Plans that would require for Olympus to fall... he dared not even consider it. But her silence had come at the price of his own credibility and his place on the Olympian council.

"What, no more words to defend your precious champion? You disappoint me, Apollo. Never doubt for one second that I will stop you and your weapon, brother. Never doubt that I will do anything in my power and beyond to see you fail. I will not subject my children to a world ruled by whore-mongering imbecile like you!"

"Why waste words on mindless cattle. You truly are your father's daughter. You are of his mind!" Apollo replied bitterly. "So tell me what your father wants and begone from my sight, before I have to take offense!"

Her father. Not theirs. There were no fathers on Olympus. Only lords and their servants. Dare to disagree and all is for naught. He should have seen this coming so much sooner. His father had always been paranoid. The great prophecy had only made it worse.

"Our father orders you to find Artemis and return her to him! Should you fail this task you and all of your spawns will be declared enemies of Olympus and hunted down with impunity. Better get that champion of yours and get to work. Father is rather impatient as of late."

"I don't need his orders to search my sister! But tell that man one thing for me."

"Careful, brother. Your next words may be crucial when the council decides your future," Athena cautioned him.

"Take your council and shove it. But tell Zeus, tell all of them, for every one of my children that comes to harm, I will burn a hundred of yours! You want me as an enemy? I dare you. See for yourself what I am capable of! Dare to challenge the sun, but don't cry when you get burned." His voice was laced with utter hatred. They dared to threaten his children. HIS CHILDREN! They would live to regret this.

Before Athena had time to make sense of his threat, he had already grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow. He aimed right for her face, for that tiny little freckle between her eyes. His aim was always true, she knew as much and fled hastily.

It was only when his hated sister had left, that Apollo allowed himself to give in to the utter despair of his situation. He slumped to the ground, no longer the proud and carefree sun god he was, but a man who had been banished in all but name. He was done with Olympus, that much was sure. And all because of one demigod... no, he knew that it would be too easy to blame Percy for this mess. This catastrophe had started millenia before the boy had been born. He was merely the stroke that broke the camel's back.

Now he had to find Artemis... but then what? Zeus would get his daughter back... but he... from what Athena had said, it was obvious that he would be judged by the council, no matter the outcome of this search. What was he supposed to do then? How would he be able to protect his children then? Trust Artemis to keep them safe for him? He chuckled dryly. She would only take his daughters and even then, his girls would clash horribly with Artemis' Hunters. It would never end well... No, as much as he dreaded it, as much as he hated it, there was obviously only one immortal left who could provide the help he needs. He didn't like it, but he had no choice. Luckily he knew exactly where to find her. Othrys.

With a feeling of dread and foreboding he arrived in the great hall of the Titan fortress, the black marbled floor shining as if it had just been cleaned. An abandoned fortress should not look this... well managed... But he pushed his bad feelings aside, as he continued on, until he had reached the large doors of the throne room. The place where the Titan queen was waiting. It all made sense now. She had waited for this to happen... he was a foolish child, trapped in the greater plans of his family. And now there was no turning back. By coming here he had given up on his past and the loyalties that had defined his life.

As he pushed the large doors open with a bang, he realized that he had possibly interrupted a meeting of sorts. All eyes were on him. Some more surprised, some calculating... some filled with joy at his sight, much to his surprise.

Five people were in the room with him now. The queen, sitting on her throne, looking down on her guests with a benevolent smile. It was obvious that she was not surprised at all to see him. With her were Asteria and Lelantos, who stood on either side of her. Pallas sat on a throne not far from the queen's own, his face showing nothing but carefully maintained indifference. And the last, and by far the most bewildered among them, was the small looking goddess, who stood before the queen. Arke looked at Apollo as if he was the most wondrous creature she had ever seen in her long life. She wanted to pull out a weapon, obviously expecting him to be an enemy, but an admonishing look from the queen stayed her hand.

Apollo ignored this scene as he walked towards Rhea, slowly, but deliberately. This was not easy for him. But it had to be done. For his children. Everything for his children. So he even swallowed his pride and knelt down before the queen, a form of subservience he had not even shown his father in the times he had truly respected him.

He waited for some long moments in silence, his gaze downcast, ready for whatever judgment the Titan Queen would pass on him. But he was not judged. Instead someone embraced him gently. A warmth spread from this person, a warmth he not felt since the day he had lost his mother... and for a moment he believed that it was her, who held him. But it wasn't her... it was Asteria, his mother's sister.

"Welcome home, my dear nephew. Welcome home," She said gently.

He could see no falsehood, as he looked upon his aunt. Neither was their any falsehood in the expressions on those around them. Lelantos, his uncle, nodded curtly, as their eyes met and Rhea smirked almost knowingly. He had truly fallen for her machinations. All had happened as she had planned... but at that moment he could not bring himself to care. To Olympus he was an outcast, but here he was among family.

* * *

Percy was grumpy, as he left his bed in the morning. It wasn't just that it had taken him almost six hours to get home the day before. No. It wasn't the fact that his other housemates had eaten everything in the fridge, leaving him to do the grocery shopping, when he was just hungry after that arduous hike. No, all of that was old news and forgotten. It was the mere fact that it was 4 AM and someone had already started making a giant ruckus in front of his house. It sounded as if there was a gods damned circus in front of his front door. But neither Ariadne, nor Zoe saw the need to stand up and deal with this... worse yet, it was a Saturday!

So he dragged himself down the stairs of the house, half asleep and completely annoyed. The commotion only got louder, as he reached the front door of the house. He took a deep breath and tried to steel himself for whatever crazy shit was waiting form him on the other side. And his high expectations were not disappointed. As he opened the door, he saw a small army of demigods on the other side. Two of them stood in front of the door, arguing loudly... about who should ring the bell...

"What the fuck?" Percy asked, not caring about cussing. Apollo can reprimand him later.

"OH, hey Percy. Did we wake you up?" The one who spoke was Lee Fletcher, one of Apollo's oldest sons at Camp Half-blood. It was only then that Percy realized that most of the other demigods were in fact the rest of the Apollo Cabin, with a few other campers thrown into the mix.

"Move it, Jackson! Where is Zoe? What have you done to her, you despicable..." The other was Phoebe, lovely as ever with her eyes filled with disgust and distrust.

But before the huntress could finish her sentence, Percy threw the door shut in their faces and turned around. He counted to ten, to calm down, before he exploded, "ARIADNE! ZOE! GET DOWN HERE AND FIX THIS!" Then he walked off. If had wanted any chance at getting a breakfast, he would have to act quickly, before all those guests would enter this house and raid the fridge.

Not an hour later, after everyone had gotten inside and all had helped themselves to something to eat and drink, Percy finally showed up again, awake and in less sour mood than before. Though he had the nagging feeling that he would explode once more, rather soon at that, should Artemis' girls continue to antagonize just about every single boy in the house. The only reason why they had not openly attacked each other yet, was Zoe's stern order to sit down and shut up.

When Percy finally found Ariadne and Zoe, they were sitting in a quiet room, together with Will, Lee and Phoebe. The mood was quite somber, more than he was used to when Zoe had her moods.

"So, what's up? Who is willing to tell me why we have a camp reunion party in this house?" Percy asked, as he sat on on of the couches, next to Ariadne.

"You might have heard about the trouble at camp..." Lee started. When Percy nodded he continued, "Well after Athena's little blighters caused this gigantic uproar, things got hectic. Suddenly it was either you are on the side of the Athena kids or you are an enemy of the camp."

"And all of you decided against them?" Lee nodded, "Why?"

"You are dad's champion. If he trusts you, how could we possibly believe those lies? Not to mention that they had started to badmouth our father as well. It was ridiculous. But it ended with us abandoning the camp and renouncing our loyalty to Olympus. We will only server our dad now." Will said strongly.

"So you are all outcasts now..." Ariadne muttered. "All thanks to those ungrateful little shits. We should have given them to Circe." It angered her, that Percy's kindness was now biting all of them in the arse. He had not wanted to send them to their deaths, for the destruction they had caused on Circe's island and this is how they repay him for it... she would not show them any mercy, should their paths cross again.

"So that explains why Ariadne's siblings and their friends are here, but why did the Hunt show up here, in Miami, in a house filled with people you hate." Percy said, as he looked at Phoebe.

Said girl sneered at him, clearly unwilling to answer him. But for once Zoe was on his side. "Our mistress is... gone..."

"Come again," Percy was perplexed. Had Phoebe just said that her mistress, the most stubborn and belligerent man hater was gone?

"She is gone. She has disappeared months ago, with some of our sisters. Our sisters are dead, our mistress is nowhere to be found," Phoebe hissed.

"What the fuck..." Will muttered, "I seriously think Olympus is falling apart these days..."

"Yeah," Percy said. He wondered if all of this was just because of him. The demigods are divided into warring factions, the Olympian council is slowly crumbling and now one of the goddesses was missing. Nothing was as it was supposed to be. He grew up with the knowledge that no matter what happens in the mortal world, Olympus never changes. Everything had existed in the same way for millenia. And now that natural order of things was falling apart... and he had a large part in that...

"This is your fault, Jackson! Ever since you showed up we have seen nothing but trouble and chaos!" Phoebe accused him angrily. "I should kill..."

"This is enough, Phoebe!" Zoe ordered sternly. The lieutenant of the hunt knew that she had to stop Phoebe's rant, before she would work herself into a frenzy. "Percy is no more guilty of our mistress disappearance than I am,"

"Zoe, you..."

"Leave us now. I will consider our options. We will find Lady Artemis, trust me!"

"I... very well," Phoebe backed down. But the frown on her face betrayed the submissive tone of he voice. She had not missed that Zoe had taken to calling Percy by his first name. Neither had she missed how relaxed Zoe was in his presence. But she had known Zoe for millenia and she trust her more than anyone, except for their mistress of course. Yet she would not discount the possibility that Jackson had done something. He had already bewitched Ariadne, Lady Artemis' beloved niece and surrogate daughter...

"Alright, now that the mood in the room has brightened considerably, what will we do?" Will asked, only moments after the door had clicked shut behind Phoebe.

"Beats me. We have the beginnings of a civil war on Olympus, a missing goddess and a small army of demigods lazing around in this house... any plans?" Percy asked.

But all others remained silent. What could they possibly say. They were mere children, trapped in the machinations of their immortal family. They would most likely have to wait for Apollo or some other god to show up.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry." Will said. His stomach growled, as if it was a deliberate act to support his words.

"Judging by the commotion inside the house, I would say that you are not alone." Lee added, as he chuckled.

"Well, we certainly don't have enough food to feed everyone in this house," Percy replied grumpily.

"Don't worry. We will take care of everything." Lee assured him, "Will, you know the area, take some of the stragglers and go shopping and we get the fires ready."

"Why do I get the feeling that the Fire Department will have a lot to do tonight?" Zoe muttered, as she watched the Apollo children jump to action. They were suddenly eager like little children, as if the gloomy discussion only moments before had never happened.

"Don't worry, I am sure that they have a plan... just try to keep the Hunters from killing anyone..." Percy muttered. He patted Zoe's shoulder lightly, giving her a small, strained smile, before he followed Will and Lee out of the room.

Ariadne watched their interaction with a raised eyebrow, obviously surprised by this interaction. Maybe it was time to get some answers. She and Zoe had not had a heart to heart talk in such a long time. And by the look on her face, it was that talk that Zoe dreaded at that very moment.

* * *

"How have we ended up in this damn mess?"

"Well it was your highness who wanted to hunt down this damned monster." Clarisse replied mockingly.

"Don't call me that!"

"Calm down, Thalia, Clarisse only likes to rile others up," Malcolm tried to appease the daughter of Zeus, before her temper would get out of hand.

"How can I calm down. That damn monster has taken Annabeth. We need a plan to get her back." Thalia said. She was angry. Angry at the monster, who had taken them by surprise and fled after capturing Annabeth. But most of her anger was directed at herself, because she had dragged her friend here, to get her away from the maddening atmosphere at Camp Half-blood. Because of her Annabeth was gone, possibly dead even. Only because she had been too weak to defend her friend.

"We don't even know where this Thorne guy has run off to." Malcolm said. He, too, felt guilty. His sister had been captured and he had been little to no help in the fight before. Why was it so damn hard for him to get stronger? He could think of tactics on the fly, but he was neither a good swordsman, nor marksman, nor did he have any powers like Thalia Grace, the daughter of Zeus or Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. Are those children of the big three really that much different from the rest? If yes, then why? What makes them special?

"Oh I will find this monster and once I have him, I will get Annabeth back," Thalia vowed.

She had only been back for a short time, a few short months since her miraculous rebirth, thanks to the Golden Fleece. But the world she had returned to was so much different than the one she had left. She had nearly died to protect her friends. She had nearly died as she had tried to bring Luke and Annabeth to Camp Half-blood, the supposedly only place where they would be safe. But that camp was not safe anymore. The demigods, once a tight knit group of friends, were now divided into three groups, who were at odds with each other. War was coming and she had already lost Luke before she could prevent it. Now Annabeth was gone, because she had been too powerless. It frustrated her.

"Come, that big thing is not very subtle, so following it isn't the problem." Clarisse said. "Next time I will be the one to fight the monster!"

"Then what are we waiting for. We have a monster to kill!" Thalia announced. And once they had freed Annabeth, she would go and put an end to that quarrel at camp. She would not watch the home of her friends and family fall apart.

"I wouldn't follow that monster if I was you, punk!"

Thalia grit her teeth, as her path was suddenly blocked by a man in black biker clothes. He looked threatening, as if he was still debating whether he should attack them or not. Especially his eyes seemed to burn with lust for battle... no, they really burned behind his shades!

"Father," Clarisse said, as she went down on one knee, presenting her spear to her father.

Malcolm quickly mirrored her action, as he remembered the stories he had been told about the war god. They boy was not foolish enough to challenge Ares of all people. Only a bloody fool would try to fight a god like him.

But Thalia did not react submissive at all. Her eyes were narrowed in suspicion, as she watched her half-brother. Why was this god here of all places? Why was he interfering with her attempts to rescue Annabeth?

"Out of our way, we have a friend to save!" Thalia told the god. She wouldn't be intimidated by the likes of him.

Ares chuckled darkly, as he approached her. Slowly, step by step he got closer. He towered over the young daughter of Zeus, but she remained defiant. He liked defiant opponents, they won't run away before he had his fun. But sadly he did not have the time to indulge... this time.

"Better be quite, punk. The old man has a quest for you. A very special quest that does not allow for any delay," Ares growled.

"I don't have time for this! My friend..."

"Is likely already dead." Ares told her without a hint of care for the fate of the other girl. Why should he care for one of Athena's blighters? He was much more inclined to believe Jackson's side of the story, but in the end he would have to remain loyal to Olympus, one more toe out of the line and he would feel his father's wrath. He was still on thin ice after the whole incident with his father's symbol of power.

"Get lost," Thalia barked back, as she tried to push herself past Ares, but the god grabbed her arm and squeezed it until she hissed in pain.

"Your opinion on this matter is neither required nor tolerated. You will come with me and do as you are told!"

"And should I refuse?"

"Then father has enough other daughters to do his bidding!" Ares told her, a menacing frown on his face. And he did not even allow her a moment to formulate a reply, before he disappeared with her, leaving Clarisse and Malcolm alone in the wilderness.

* * *

The sun had long set and cool evening air pushed away the clamoring heat of the day, as the impromptu party in the garden of Apollo's house in Miami had reached its height. Though Percy had no idea where Apollo's kids had gotten all the food or how they had managed to erect the large campfires and barbecue grills, but he couldn't deny that he was happy. Being around friends, just enjoying their lives for once, it was liberating. They could be like normal teenagers for once and despite the nagging voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that this normalcy was merely an illusion, he tried to savor the moment. Even the Hunters had begrudgingly joined them, though the most ardent of Artemis' girls kept their distance from the other children.

Lee and Will had started a singing contest, praising the great heroes in their songs of heroism and sacrifice. Some more of their siblings joined in, though most were content with listening and cheering, especially when Will started using parts of his own adventure in the Sea of Monsters for his songs.

But Percy's attention was elsewhere. Zoe had secluded herself in a corner of the garden, away from everyone, even her fellow hunters. He was sure that her somber mood was because of Lady Artemis and though she would never admit it, he was sure that she would need someone to talk to. Emboldened by the fact that Zoe had not reverted back to her old self, just because of the presence of her sisters, he even believed that he might qualify as a suitable companion in such troubled times. So he walked over to her and settled down on the bench she had occupied. None the less he kept about an arms length distance from her, just to avoid trouble with the hunters.

"Go away, I'm not in the mood to talk, Percy," Zoe grumbled.

Percy chuckled lightly, but he had no intention to leave, "You don't look like someone who should be alone right now."

"I'm warning you, Jackson, don't make me mad. I've only just started to tolerate you, don't gamble with that."

"Hey, I can understand that you are worried about your mistress. All of this is messed up on so many levels and all of us are involved in something that is so far beyond what we could ever imagine, but..."

"Percy!"

"Yes?"

"You are rambling."

"Sorry..." he sighed. "What I want to say is, that you don't have to shoulder everything alone."

"You are wrong. The burden is now mine to carry. Mine alone. With Lady Artemis gone, I am responsible for the Hunt and I have to lead them. I have to organize my fellow sisters, so we can try to find our mistress. No one can help me with that." Zoe told him sternly. "I have been lieutenant of the Hunt for millenia, but this is the first time that I am completely on my own. Their lives depend on me."

"If you want, I will help you find your mistress. I can ask Triton whether he has seen or heard something. If she is anywhere close to the water, his spies would surely know." Percy offered.

Zoe hesitated as she considered his words, but ultimately she shook her head and declined. "No. You are already in too much trouble with Olympus. Getting involved in the disappearance of Lord Zeus' favorite daughter, that should be as far from your mind as possible."

"Zeus can sod off for all I care. He hates me just for breathing."

"You shouldn't talk like that."

"I mean it." He said honestly, as he moved closer to her and placed his right hand on her shoulder, "No matter what others might think, I consider you a friend Zoe. We may not always be of the same opinion and until recently you have hated my guts, but I hope, no I know that I have gotten to know a Zoe Nightshade that only few outside of the Hunt have ever met. And for such friends, I will travel to Tartarus and back if necessary."

Zoe watched him with some suspicion, as she wondered what he had meant. He had seen a side of her that she had never shown anyone but her fellow hunters? Was that true? No... but she had not been her usual self ever since she had begun to travel with Percy and his friends. Calypso had warned her once, that her cold hatred would only result in a life of solitude and sadness. But now...

"Oh, am I interrupting something here?" Ariadne's sudden appearance shook Zoe from her deep thoughts.

She realized that the current situation could easily be misconstrued. Percy's hand was still resting on her shoulder and she looked far too comfortable about it. Not to mention that he sat close to her and had leaned in to look into her eyes during his declaration. The scene looked almost... intimate... Lady Artemis would be appalled.

"Hey Ari, is the party already over?" Percy asked, as he removed his hand from Zoe's shoulder and stood up.

"Yeah, most of my siblings are already sleeping wherever they have found a comfortable place and the few that are still up are busy watching Michael and Sherman brawl."

"Sherman?"

"Oh, he is one of Ares' kids. No idea why he has tagged along with my siblings when they left Camp Half-blood, but he is kind of fun, in the goofy, not so clever way." Ariadne told him with a shrug. "And what have you two been up to?"

"Nothing much. We've been talking about what awaits us now. As it seems we have a goddess to find," Percy said.

Though he had not seen it, Zoe's face had shown genuine gratitude, as she realized that he had meant everything he had just said. He was always the one to challenge her preconceptions about all men. He actually spoke the truth and not just to charm her, like some other foolish boys would have tried... Charm her, the mere idea that someone would actually try that was utterly ridiculous. Yet she was not as repulsed by the idea that Percy would try such a thing as she should be.

"So we will try to find my aunt... you do know that she hates your guts, right?"

"Yep,"

"And you do know that half of Olympus will try to kill you, if they get the chance!"

"Yeah, I figured as much." Percy replied nonchalantly.

Ariadne laughed lightly. "So business as usual. We will have so much fun."

Percy laughed as well now, even Zoe had a small smile on her face, though she tried to smother it the moment Percy looked her way. It was this moment, that Zoe realized that she indeed come to trust this boy. Despite all she had seen in her life, despite all the despicable men she had met, she had actually allowed herself to see this boy as a friend.

But suddenly all light seemed to wane. The bright fires of the torches the Apollo kids had spread throughout the gardens dimmed until they were little more than glowing embers. A feeling of dread settled in Percy's stomach, as he realized that this was not a normal occurrence. No, someone was here. Someone decidedly not mortal. Had Olympus decided to attack? Or had the Titans deemed him to big a threat to allow him to continue living? No matter, Percy was ready, his trusty sword Sunreaver already in his hand. Helios' flames danced around the blade, illuminating the son of Poseidon lightly, giving him a mysterious look.

"To arms! Enemies might have entered this home!" Ariadne yelled loudly, to wake her siblings. Only moments later the whole garden was bustling with life.

"Found you!" An unknown voice whispered suddenly. "You have hidden yourself well, sister, but now that I have you back, we won't be separated again!"

"Who the fuck are you? Die Zeus send you? Or was it Kronos?" Percy yelled.

A chuckled could be heard, before a woman appeared from the twilight near them. She looked young, but he knew that appearances could be deceiving when it comes to immortal part of his family. But what was the most curious thing, was that she had wings.

"Don't even try to stop me, I won't leave without my sister!" the woman said, as she slowly approached Ariadne.

But Percy quickly stepped in front of his friend. "Not one more step!" He pointed his sword towards her, the flames flaring up as they reacted to his anger.

"You! Those flames, this power... no, you are not him. He died long ago! Begone, imposter!" the woman yelled, as she attacked Percy. He had barely seen her sword, before it nearly sliced through his shoulder. He had to thank Zoe for his survival, as it was one of her arrows that forced to abandon her initial attack. More arrows followed from Apollo's children and the hunters, as they saw the fight. But the woman escape them with ease.

"Leave, we won't tolerate any interference from Olympus here." Percy said loudly.

But the woman merely chuckled, before she disappeared in the darkness once more. For a moment Ariadne wondered if this woman is somehow connected to the daughter of Hades she had met on that island, but then she realized that this woman did not travel through the darkness, but merely avoided the light to hide her tracks.

"Percy, behind you!" She yelled.

Luckily Percy could jump out of the way of the woman's attack, but he was forced away from Ariadne and into the way of her siblings. Only Zoe remained next to the girl, but before she could even nock an arrow, the woman had already reached Ariadne and grabbed her by her throat. Then she disappeared with Ariadne, leaving nothing but a group of shocked demigods and an angry son of the sea.

* * *

 **A/N: Well so much for the beginning of the end. Harbinger will be quite different from your run of the mill Percy Jackson stories. A much more destructive war is coming as three sides try to claim as many demigods as they can for their plans.  
**

 **In this story some characters from the last two stories will only play minor roles, like Triton, but others will get much more action. One of those who will be in the center of the attention will be Bianca. In fact three of the four living children of the Big Three will be important this time. And we will see a much more serious Apollo, whose fake smiles and fake awesome life crashes around him, as he has to face his father's paranoia and his grandmother's schemes.  
**

 **There was one small question I had not been able to answer, because it had been asked in an anonymous review to the last chapter of trials. Why will there be only four stories instead of the five of the books. Well the answer is simple. There will be a time jump between Harbinger and the last story, should I ever get to write it. I am already well under way for this story, the planning is done and I know what I want to write and how many chapters it will take to show everything I want to show. And one of the plans is the time jump between the stories. Percy will not be involved in the events of the fourth book, that will be Thalia's time to shine.**

 **Well, this is all for today. Don't be mad, but the next chapter will be out in September or October... if everything goes as planned. Hope to see you all again when this story continues...**


	2. II

**Okay, it has been some time, but as promised I will now resume this story. Seeing so much interest in my story, especially in the third installment, made me quite happy. It is nice to know that your work is appreciated, so thanks to all of you who have followed, faved and reviewed the story so far.**

 **So this chapter will reveal one big secret. But keep in mind that what you learn this time will only be a small fraction of the bigger picture, so there will be more to this secret that has yet to be revealed.**

 **Alright, have fun...**

* * *

"You've sent for me, father," the girl said, as she knelt down before her father's throne. The entire room was dark, except for the few torches that dared to shed light. But she was not bothered by the darkness, ever since she had come under her father's care, she had thrived in the darkness of his realm. She had become one with the dark shadows, hidden from sight to all but death itself.

"You taught her well, Thanatos. I am pleased," Hades said, a smirk spreading on his face.

His daughter showed no sign of surprise, as she had well known that Thanatos would most likely be present as well. Her mentor was one of the few that eluded even her senses. But his presence also meant one thing. Her father had not called her here for sentimental reasons. Not that she would have expected that. She was assured of his affection for her as his child, but he was not the kind of man to show this openly. No, with Thanatos here as well, this could only mean that her father had a quest for her. The first quest she would undertake in his name. She could hardly wait!

"Bianca has been a very attentive student. She thrives in the shadow like no other of your children, my lord. She will serve you well..." Thanatos stopped abruptly, as if he weighed his next words very carefully.

"But what?" Hades demanded.

"But her retained humanity will always be a hindrance. Her mortal soul stays her hand in certain situations. As does her affection for the boy. Her will always be a mortal weakness for her."

Nico! They were talking about her brother... her little baby brother. She has not talked to him in over a year. She had gone to Camp Half-blood, always hidden in the shadows, as she knew that she was not allowed to show herself to him. Her father's orders regarding this were absolute. But why did her mentor call Nico her weakness?

"Hm... this is, exasperating." Her father replied simply, as he leaned on his throne and rested his chin on one fist. "My daughter must not allow herself such weaknesses."

"Father I can assure you..."

"No, you cannot." Hades interrupted her harshly. "I have great plans for you, my beloved child. There is true greatness in your future. But as you are now, you will fail and you will perish."

"Command me, father, and I shall serve." Bianca replied quickly. She would do whatever it was for him. Thanatos had taught her so much about her father and about what she truly meant to him. He had encouraged her to form her own opinion of the god of the Underworld and she did just that. Admiration and love for her father had grown in leaps and bounds, as he had provided her with a future she could have only dreamed of in that dreaded casino.

"I do not doubt your loyalty. Our world is at the crossroads, Olympus' power is slowly crumbling and my brother is too blind to see it. He still craves power and I need someone to keep this power away from Zeus' power addled hands. Can you be that someone, daughter?" Hades looked intently at her, his black eyes never leaving hers.

Bianca had no doubts, as she jumped up and spoke with conviction, "I will not disappoint you father! I will do your bidding or die trying."

An amused smile appeared on Hades' face, as he regarded his daughter. Her conviction was quite amusing to see. He would have to reward Thanatos generously for instilling such fierce loyalty in the girl.

"Die trying... that can happen more often than you would expect." Hades told her calmly.

But as her face showed only confusion, Thanatos stepped forward to explain it to her, "Death means nothing to you, girl. You are of the Underworld. You are my champion, a champion of death itself. Dieing is nothing but a minor setback for you. They may kill you, but you won't be here for long, before you return to get your vengeance."

"I am immortal?" She asked, shocked by this revelation.

"No. Not yet, at least. You will age and you will decay, but as long as we will it, death will not be the end for you." Thanatos explained to her.

This was still quite the shock for her. How was she supposed to react to this? How many times would she die, before her father finally decides that she has done her duty? What would it be like, to die and return, again and again?

"It is not your own death that worries me," Hades told her stoically, "But how you will react to the death of someone close to you. Someone like the boy..."

"My brother?"

"Yes, him," Hades said with quite a bit of distaste. He had obviously not yet deemed Nico ready to learn about his heritage. Bianca knew that her brother was still too young, too innocent for this... but her father's cold refusal to even say his name was quite disturbing.

"Nico will not be an issue, father," She lied. And he knew that she lied. Her brother was never far from her mind.

"Are you willing to prove your conviction and your loyalty to me?" Hades asked her sternly.

"I am. Command me and I shall obey." Bianca replied quickly, readily.

Again the smirk returned to Hades' face. "Then you must leave your past behind. Everything that has happened in the past. You will be only my child. My beloved daughter, a servant of the shadows. A true Harbinger of the Underworld."

"I will do as you command, father," Bianca replied, though for the first time she could not hide the hesitance that grew inside of her. Again her thoughts strayed to her brother. Whatever her father had planned, it could mean nothing good for her relationship to him. But she knew her duty was to her father. Only to him.

"Thanatos, you know what to do. Prepare my daughter for her task, then send her on her way. There is much to be done," Hades commanded the other god, who only nodded in consent, "And Bianca," he called out to his daughter, "Make me proud and you shall taste true immortality."

She left him with a smile on her face, ignorant of what would be done to her soon. She was assured of her father's affection for her and in return she would do anything to make him proud.

* * *

Apollo knew that something was amiss, the very moment he had entered his house in Miami. Though most of the demigods there were asleep at this late hour, there was a feeling of dread that seemed almost chocking. Something had happened in his absence. But what? He hoped that Athena had no made her last mistake. If she even dared to show her face here... He had not forgotten her threat against his children.

But as far as he could see, his children were not hurt or otherwise troubled. They were sleeping peacefully, unaware of his presence. He could not prevent his sad smile, as he knew that their peace would soon be shattered by the harsh reality of Olympian politics. Oh how he cursed his father's paranoia and his siblings' schemes.

He continued on his way through the house, until he found the only room that still seemed lively. It was illuminated brightly and some people were arguing loudly and heatedly. One he recognized as Percy, but the others... Will, maybe. Or Lee.

"I don't care one bit about Zeus and his stupidity. He sends his minions to abduct my friend, he will pay." Percy shouted angrily.

"Who has been abducted?" Apollo demanded to know, as he burst into the room.

"Father!" Will, Lee and Michael all said at once, as they saw the sun god storm into the room.

But Apollo had no need for answers. Besides his sons there were only Percy, Zoe and another one of Artemis' hunters. One was missing. Ariadne. Someone has taken Ariadne. His most precious daughter.

"Who has taken Ariadne? Was it Athena?"

"No. It was someone else. I have never seen that woman before. She was young and she had wings. It happened so fast, we barely saw her coming. And she seemed confused." Percy told him. "At first she thought that I was someone else, but then she called me an imposter. But it was obvious that she had come for Ariadne."

Apollo's mind reeled as he tried to figure out which goddess had dared to abduct his child. Who had the gall to challenge him.

"I will go to Olympus and demand her return! They can't just run around and take people!" Percy said heatedly.

Zoe slapped him on the back of his head, her face marred by a deep frown, as she spoke with utmost disapproval, "You fool. They would kill you the moment you leave the elevator. You are a demigod, demigods don't go around and challenge the king of the gods. You stand no chance."

"Doing nothing! Is that your wise decision? Dammit, Zoe, I thought Ariadne is your friend! She would fight for you, but you won't do the same for her!" Percy replied.

Apollo watched his champion with worry. Rarely had he seen Percy this angry. He knew that the boy and his daughter had gotten close, as close as siblings even, but in this case it was unwise to allow emotions to overrule common sense.

"She is right, Percy. You can't just challenge Olympus." Apollo told him.

Percy deflated visibly, as he had to acknowledge Apollo's decision.

"But we have to do something. Zeus has Ariadne!"

"He does not," everyone in the room suddenly turned towards the door, where someone new had entered. The demigods tensed up, some even reaching for their weapons, as they did not recognize the man. But Apollo did.

"Uncle, why are you here?" Apollo asked, as Lelantos slowly walked up to him.

"Our queen has asked me to prevent you from doing something stupid, Apollo. The girl's abduction is unfortunate, but we must adhere to the plan, lest we will loose control of the situation." Lelantos spoke calmly.

"Apollo, who is this guy?" Percy asked, as he watched the newcomer warily.

"This man is Lelantos, son of Koios, Titan of Air and Hunting Skills... and my maternal uncle." Apollo introduced the Titan. But of course this only caused the demigods to tense up more. Well all but Percy and Zoe, the only ones who had contact with Titans before. But to the other four Titans had always been nothing but enemies.

But Percy was undeterred by Lelantos Titan heritage, other questions were much more pressing. "You said that Zeus does not have Ariadne. Then who has her?"

A secretive smile appeared on Lelantos face, as he stood next to Apollo. "Eos."

"Eos?"

"The Titaness of Dawn, daughter of Hyperion, sister of Helios and Selene," Lelantos clarified.

Apollo looked surprised as he heard this. But not like someone who has heard something entirely unexpected, but more the 'why did I not see this coming' kind of surprised.

"Is she working for Kronos then?" Percy demanded to know.

"No. As far as we know her reasons are her own." Lelantos replied, still as calm as ever, despite the volatile atmosphere in the room. "Apollo, maybe it is time for you to tell some of your secrets, don't you think?"

Apollo hesitated. Never before had Percy seen the god so at odds with himself. What was the sun god hiding? And how was this secret connected to Ariadne?

Zoe on the other hand narrowed her eyes in suspicion, as she watched both god and titan on the other side of the room. Her instincts told her that there was a big secret, just about to be revealed here. But what and how would it change their situation.

"Tell them, Apollo. Tell them why Eos' search for her sister has lead her directly to your daughter," Lelantos said, his tone demanding now. He spoke to Apollo like an adult who ordered a child to admit his wrong doings.

"I... she is... Oh damn it all." Apollo cursed. "Ariadne is not what you think." This only confused the demigods even more. "What I mean is, Ariadne is not a demigod."

"Woah, hold that thought for a moment. What do you mean she is not a demigod? What else is she supposed to be? The fucking Tooth Fairy?" Percy said. Had they all lied? Had Ariadne lied about her true origins? But why?

"Ariadne is my daughter. But her mother was not mortal, though at that time she had given up on all of her powers and lived a quiet life among the mortals." Apollo said.

"Her mother was Selene," Zoe concluded. "Why else would Eos hunt for her."

"Now that is a sharp one. Curious, most of Atlas' kids are simple minded cannon fodder." Lelantos said with a laugh. "Choosing her as her lieutenant speaks highly of your sister."

"Wait a second here. So you are saying that Ariadne is the daughter of a god and a titaness? So she is a goddess herself?" Percy asked. He had to sit down by that point, as the shock of this revelation was almost too much to bear. Her brother's fared no better.

Apollo sighed, before he continued. "It is not that simple, Percy. When I met Selene, I was very much sure that she was a mortal woman. An exceptionally beautiful woman, who managed to trap my heart. It was only later, when I visited her briefly before Ariadne's birth, that Selene told me the truth. You have to understand, that Selene and Helios both suffered greatly when the Romans stopped believing in them and attributed most of their powers to me and my sister. Helios accepted his fate and knew that he would fade. So he transferred his powers to me, before he disappeared from this world for ever. But Selene was not as willing to depart. She loved this world too much to do that."

"What a sad fate. Even the almighty are unable to prevent their own demise. In the end nothing stops death." Zoe muttered. And she was right. What a sad fate had befallen the Titaness of the Moon.

Apollo nodded, a sad smile on lips as he heard Zoe's words. "Selene decided to cling to her life, but she got weaker and weaker, as the people simply stopped believing in her. In the end she was forced to part with her powers, so she could live on with the little moon worship that was left on the world. But unlike Helios she did not pass on her powers to her successor."

"But Lady Artemis is the goddess of the Moon. Of course she has Selene's powers!" the other Hunter in the room, Phoebe, interjected arrogantly.

Lelantos laughed loudly, much to Phoebe's ire. "Foolish child. Your goddess is nothing but a warden. She has never been the incarnation of the moon as Selene had been. No, as long as Selene had lived, the moon had continued to exist."

"But she is dead now and the moon still shines brightly." Percy said.

"Yes. And it has become even stronger recently. Which means that Selene's powers have not left this world as she has perished." Lelantos told them.

"But Ariadne does not have her mother's powers. She is little more powerful than a demigod." Apollo said, "So they are still hidden somewhere, waiting to be claimed."

No one realized it, when Will suddenly started fiddling around with a small silver bracelet, which he had pulled out of one of his pockets. He stared at it in disbelief, as the others around him focused on Apollo and Lelantos.

"So Eos has kidnapped Ariadne, because she thinks that she is actually her mother?" Zoe asked.

"Indeed. Eos is in denial, both of her siblings have faded, so she remains alone. She is not ready to accept that. She has desperately searched for Selene, which lead her to the last child of her sister." Lelantos looked thoughtful for a moment, before he continued, "Maybe there is more to your girl than we had anticipated, nephew." Or maybe there was simply more than Rhea had told either of them. Surely the queen would not have missed this. She had proven again and again that she was quite able to unravel most secrets with ease.

"This is unbelievable." Percy muttered. He was sure that Ariadne had no idea about her true parentage. She would have mentioned it, they keep no secrets from each other. "But wait... can Ariadne gain her mother's powers? Can she take Selene's place?"

"Doubtful," Lelantos answered, "Her mother's powers have disappeared and none of us know where Selene might have hidden them. Or maybe she has passed them on to someone we don't know... or maybe Hyperion has taken his daughter's powers, though that would be a worst case scenario."

"Worse yet, should my father find out that Selene has not passed her powers on to Artemis, he will hunt for it." Apollo said, his face a distasteful grimace. "He would never allow for anyone out of his control to gain any power, especially not the powers of a Titaness."

"Has Selene never said anything to you, nephew?" Lelantos asked Apollo critically, "For all we know you were her last lover, her last contact with anything godly."

"I... we never talked about Olympus and the Titans... we just enjoyed the time we had together..."

"To Tartarus with you, you lovesick fool." Lelantos cursed.

Apollo looked angrily at his uncle, as he retorted, "What do you know, uncle. What do you know about love. Selene... never before have I loved anyone like I had loved her... But my love alone was not enough to keep her from perishing."

Grief overtook him, as he almost whispered the last part. In this moment Percy remembered what Rhea had said about him. Apollo was a broken man, hiding behind fake smiles and his playboy persona. The sun god was good at hiding it, for it was apparent that not even his twin sister had realized that the man she scorned for his habits, was merely running from his own ruin.

"But how does any of this help us get Ariadne back?" Percy asked, as Lelantos and Apollo had settled for glaring at each other.

But neither of the men spoke for a long time, as they had no idea where to start looking.

"I will search for her!" Percy snapped, as he got no answer, "And if it takes an eternity, I will find her. She is my friend and I won't abandon her. You two just get back to bickering." He stood up and went to leave the room.

"I'll come with you, Perce" Will said immediately.

"As will we," Lee said, as he and Michael stood up to follow Percy. "All of our siblings will follow you. Olympus may have abandoned us, but we won't abandon each other." It was obvious that their recent exile had only lead the children of Apollo to stick even closer together.

"You cannot go, Percy." Apollo stopped him, held him back with a hand on his champion's shoulder.

"Just try and make me stay. If you don't help me, maybe others will! I just go and ask Triton for help, surely my brother will aid me!" Percy felt great anger at Apollo, when the god tried to stop him. Why would he do this? Why would he disallow him to rescue Ariadne? Had the god lied about his affection for his daughter?

"You can't go, Percy, because you have a different path ahead of you."

"I can't believe this! Why would you..."

"A quest has been issued, Percy. A quest to save Artemis, who has been captured by unknown forces. And Zeus himself has ordained that you have to lead this quest or else he will have you and all who have helped you killed." Apollo told his champion through barely contained anger. His father had gone far. Too far. But so had his grandmother. Rhea knew very well where Artemis was, but she forbid him to interfere. Percy had to save her. It was the only way to deescalate the situation at hand. He hated it, but he couldn't deny her logic. Nevertheless, he would keep a very close eye on his sister and step in, should Atlas take things to far. But with Ariadne missing now... he felt torn.

"Fuck him! I won't..." Percy started, but stopped when Zoe was suddenly beside him and slapped him again.

"Don't be a fool, Percy. This is not a game and you are playing with more than just your own life." She told him.

"So you want me to abandon Ariadne as well?"

"Sometimes we have to do what is necessary and not what we want. You concern for your friend does you credit, but just about everybody in this house is a potential target for Zeus mad revenge. Don't sacrifice all of them for one life." Zoe insisted.

"I..."

"Leave Ariadne to us, Percy." Will told him, "We children of the sun watch out for each other. We will find her! You save that prude huntress, we..."

He suddenly stopped when an arrow passed between his legs, dangerously close to his most sensitive areas. Zoe just stood there, bow still in hand, a cold glare leveled at the demigod.

"Do not insult my mistress or you will part with some essential parts of your anatomy," Zoe hissed.

Phoebe was almost immediately by he side. The belligerent girl would have pummeled Will, had Zoe not forbidden her from harming any of the boys in this house. But she would meet him again one day, outside of this building. She would remember every slight.

Percy sighed, as he had to admit that his choices were very limited. Oh how much he began to despise Zeus. All of his problems seemed connected to the king of Olympus. Kronos seemed almost none existent next to this constant threat from the paranoid god.

"Alright. Alright," Percy stepped between Will and the huntresses. "Looks like we don't have much of a choice. We will split up. One group saves Artemis, the other one will hunt down Eos to get Ariadne back."

"Just don't stand in the way of the Hunt, Jackson," Phoebe spat at him. There wasn't even the hint of a doubt that she would attack him, should she see him as a hindrance to Artemis' rescue. Oh the joy of traveling with Artemis' girl scouts. He had almost forgotten how much Phoebe despises him. Now he really wished that Clarisse was here with them. She had done a marvelous job at keep Phoebe's attention away from him.

Lelantos watched the entire scene with a bored expression. Either he was guarding his true thoughts very zealously or he was just not in the mood to humor the youngest members of his family.

Apollo on the other hand quickly intervened, to prevent any further trouble that might be sparked the animosity.

"Stop this. Focus your anger on those who will try to stop you on your quests." Apollo barked angrily. "Only a hand full of demigods will go with Percy. The rest of the Hunt can either stay here or help finding Ariadne."

"We don't take orders from you, sun god!" Phoebe hissed angrily.

"But you take orders from me. In our lady's absence I am in charge. You will do as I command you," Zoe looked coldly at Phoebe, as she saw first hand how the man hating tendencies of some of her hunters had obviously gotten out of hand.

"But, Zoe, I..."

"No, Phoebe. Do as I tell you or I will need to replace a hunter."

Phoebe could only look at Zoe in disbelief, but no matter how much she tried to find a sign that her friend was joking, she found none. Zoe was serious. Deadly serious. She just stood there, arms crossed in front of her chest, a deadly glare on her face. Zoe would do it. With Lady Artemis' and Ariadne's lives on the line, the lieutenant of the Hunt would get rid of her in an instant, should she become a liability.

"Gather the others. We need to get ready." Zoe told Percy, before she left the room herself, to find her hunters. She took Phoebe with her, as she pulled the shocked girl out of the room.

"So off we go, down the yellow brick road," Will tried to sound funny, to lighten the mood.

"No, son. Now we are heading to war, I fear," Apollo told his child somberly. "The awesome times are over, now we have to earn our future. Both paths, that to find Artemis and the one to find Ariadne, both will lead you into conflict with Titans and Olympus.

* * *

"So would you run that by me one more time? My hearing must have gotten faulty," Clarisse said angrily, as she looked at Thalia Grace.

Zeus daughter had just returned from wherever Ares had brought her. Now she was armed with a new spear, a gift from her father to celebrate her return from the trees. And she had a quest. Not one given by the oracle, but one from the king of the gods himself.

"We go and find the traitors, then we keep a very close eye on them on this quest to find Artemis. And should they show even the slightest sign of treason, we are to end them." Thalia replied.

She did not look at Clarisse the entire time, instead she was was busy training with her spear, stabbing at invisible targets.

"This is madness," Clarisse muttered. "I have told you that Jackson is probably the least likely candidate for treason. He is too dumb for that!"

"I have heard all Annabeth had to say about this. From her point of view there is only one true threat to Olympus and that is Jackson and his new private army of demigods. My father is not willing to take any risks. Not with that dumb prophecy hanging over our heads."

"Prophecies... everyone keeps talking about this shit, but no one tells me what it really entails."

"I only know the gist of it, but what I know is that one of the children of the Big Three will destroy Olympus. My father told me that himself. And right now there are only three known children that fit the job description. Hades' daughter, Jackson and myself. I have no intention to betray my family, so that leaves us with only two options and one known traitor." Thalia replied stubbornly.

Zeus daughter stopped her stoic training with her spear and tensed up, as she heard someone else coming. She knew that her own group was rather small, with the few campers, who had volunteered to free the goddess Artemis. Except for Clarisse and Malcolm, there were only a hand full.

"But why did you bring the kid?" Clarisse asked, as she pointed at one of the boys, who talked animatedly with the rest of the group, though almost all other demigods ignored him. Their annoyance was plain visible, nevertheless the boy continued. Or maybe he just did not know.

"He is eager... and he volunteered. Can't say the same for any of your siblings," Thalia replied. She, too, looked slightly annoyed by the chipper boy, though not as much as the rest of her group. She only wished that more had volunteered. But most other demigods were either not ready to fight or not willing. "Had I not been trapped in that tree for so long... Luke would still be with us and Jackson would never have gotten this far..." She clenched her fists tightly, as the anger welled up inside of her.

"Well your little boyfriend abandoned us for the Titans quite some time ago. He and a whole merry lot of other idiots."

Clarisse had not forgotten the time when Luke's minions had attacked the boat she had been on. They had come for the Golden Fleece. Luckily they never got their hands on it. It only irked her, that it was Jackson who defeated them all on his own. She would have to get a whole lot stronger if she ever wishes to defeat him.

"Watch out! Attack!" Someone yelled.

Thalia and Clarisse had their weapons out within moments and looked around, searching for the threat. Not that it was that hard to find. A group approached them, armed and ready for combat. There were six of them, three dressed in the silver outfits of Artemis' hunters, the other three...

"Sherman? What the fuck are you doing here?" Clarisse blurted out, as she saw her brother among the group. Then she realized that they were lead by none other than Percy Jackson. "Jackson!"

"So this is him. The traitor!" Thalia said.

The daughter of Zeus slowly approached Percy's group, closely followed by her own comrades. Under other circumstances some might have considered the scene almost hilarious, as the two groups faced each other like gangs in a cheap wild west movie, yet the situation was too tense for any of them to even crack a smile.

"You spared me the chase, Jackson. Surrender now and my father might show mercy on your sorry traitorous hide!"

Silence was her answer at first, before Percy's stern mask cracked and he started laughing mockingly. "Your father does not even know how to write the word mercy. I pass. But maybe you should surrender, seeing as you are in no position to resist."

Thalia frowned, as she tried to decide whether Percy was just plain mad or over confident. The fact that he had Artemis' hunters on his side was disconcerting, yes, but not enough to warrant such lazy disregard of her strength.

"Drop your weapons. Please," Percy said one more time. "I'm here to talk, but I don't trust Zeus' minions enough to allow them weapons anywhere near me or my friends." But none of Thalia's group seemed willing to comply. Percy could only sigh. "Guys!" He called.

Thalia's eyes widened, as more than a dozen other demigods revealed themselves. All of them were archers, their bows ready and their arrows aimed at her group. She growled angrily, as she had to admit defeat for now. But she vowed silently that she would get Percy back for this humiliation.

"Drop your weapons. For now we stand no chance." Thalia ordered, albeit begrudgingly.

Nevertheless, it took some more prodding for the rest of her group to comply with her order. But in the end they knew that they stood no chance.

"So what now?"

"Now we talk." Percy replied. "Come with me, daughter of Zeus. We will talk. Alone." Percy motioned for her to follow him. He walked away from both groups, so Thalia followed him. But she was far from happy about this.

When both of them were a good distance away from the other demigods, Thalia's patience had reached its limit and she lunged at him. But to her shock, her had both anticipated and deflected her attack with ease.

"You definitely are your father's daughter. The same unrestrained temper." Percy muttered. "But perhaps we should start correcting some misconceptions here, Thalia Grace."

"What do you know about me, traitor?" Thalia spat.

"Enough. And you should quit calling me a traitor, lest I might take offense and really turn against the tyrant you call a father. In the end it was him who antagonized me without a reason, not the other way around."

"You are a traitor. You conspire against Olympus. You build your own army of demigods, to help your patron seize the throne!"

Again Percy laughed loudly. "You really believe this shit? Apollo has no interest in your father's position. All men who had gained that power have turned mad sooner or later. Why would anyone want that?"

"Don't lie, Annabeth told me..."

"Ah, yes. Athena's daughter. I should have let her die. I saved her sorry ass and that of her idiot brother and this is how they repay me. By creating further conflict. How very wise they are, the children of the goddess of wisdom." It had been on more than one occasion now, that Percy had come to regret his decision to let Athena's children go. Not always is kindness rewarded in kind.

"Annabeth has no reason to lie..."

"But neither has she ever bothered to understand. She saw a fraction, before she painted a bigger picture by herself. Listen closely, Thalia, I am not your enemy unless you give me a reason to be. My enemy is Kronos, though your father does anything in his power to add his name to that list. But for now we have a quest to finish." Percy said.

"Artemis."

"Yes. The goddess has been taken, but unfortunately the quest requires the children of the Big Three to work together to face this threat." Percy told her, his disdain for Zeus and those who follow him blindly undisguised.

Thalia snorted, as she heard Percy. "And you expect me to believe that you will free the goddess? A goddess who is absolutely loyal to my father?"

"I do my duty, whether I like it or not. You should try the same."

"The hunters in your group, the moment Artemis is free they will be on our side once more. You will loose a powerful piece in your game, Jackson."

"I am doing this mainly for the hunt. More precisely for Zoe, Artemis' lieutenant, whom I consider a friend. I would have helped her find Artemis, regardless of your father's threat to murder my friends and their families should I not comply."

Thalia was taken aback by his words. Had her father really threatened to do that? When she had met him, he seemed like a genuinely good ruler. Stern and emotionally cold, perhaps, but he is a just ruler.

"And what now?" She asked, as she regarded Percy critically.

Her gazed roamed once more, as she waited for the answer. She could see the other demigods not far from them. They were still on the edge and ready to fight. This madness... demigods fighting each other. This was not how it was supposed to be.

"Now... now we will choose a group to come along. Three demigods for each of us. We will be on equal footing here. And once Artemis is safe, we hopefully won't see each other ever again." Percy replied. He could already guess that Thalia would be the cause of many headaches in the future.

He really hoped that this was worth it. Though he had told the truth, when he told Thalia about his intention to help Zoe, his mind was still focused on Ariadne's kidnapping. His closest friend was far more important than the spiteful goddess. But he had no choice. Time was running out and he was tired of wasting it on those who would only betray his trust in the end. He had learned his lesson from the Athena children. Kindness is not always the best course of action... sometimes you have to get your hands dirty, in order to secure a future for those you love...

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, that is all for today. I know that everything is quite intense at the moment, but that is how it is supposed to be. They are at the brink of war, but against the wrong enemy.**

 **Apollo's backstory with Selene will be a topic that recurs quite often in this story. It is his and Ariadne's main back story this time. There is still much that has not been revealed yet, so stay tuned for more on this.**

 **And finally Percy, Bianca and Thalia. All three will play their big roles this time. Nico will only play a minor sub-part to Bianca's story. Sorry to all Nico fans, but to me Bianca was always more interesting and he is actually quite annoying...**

 **Good so far, at least I hope so. I can't give you a definite ETA on the next chapter, but it should take less than a month. If things go well it will happen this month or early next month. My time to write is currently very sparse and I am actually one month early with this chapter, so please bare with me until I can arrange quicker updates for the story. Maybe I will write shorter chapters, just so I can give you at least something every now and then. I am not sure yet.**

 **Okay, have fun and hope to see you again...**


	3. III

**Okay, first up I'm sorry that this is so short, but I've been extremely busy those past few weeks, due to commitments that required me to travel around far more than I like. No seriously, I really start to hate airplanes... six flights in three weeks are too much...**

 **But let's not bother with that. I am just glad that I can give you all some sort of update, even if it is just a teaser of things to come. The next real chapter will be out in one or two weeks, so this teaser is meant to show that I am indeed still alive, despite some worries of my most faithful readers. So far the first two chapters have only shown one side in the conflict against Kronos, so let's have a small look at the other side, shall we?**

* * *

The sun had long set, as she arrived at her destination. She lead a small group of five, as they followed the trail up the mountain. Only torches shed some light, sparsely illuminating the path, as they moved forward. It was a clear night, the moon and the stars shining brightly.

The moon... it seemed so much more powerful these days. She could only wonder why. It couldn't be because of the goddess. Artemis was weakened, defeated. It was impossible that her power had increased in this magnitude. But why else would the moon shine so brightly? She could even feel it, its power. Artemis' blessing gave all of her Hunters a power boost in the moonlight...

She shook herself from her musings, as they had finally reached the top. But no one else was there. They had arrived first, ahead of schedule. But that was just her intention. While none of her allies had arrived yet, their prisoner was here all along. Trapped under the burden of the sky. The goddess Artemis, in all her broken glory. Bloodied, beaten, defeated.

She smirked as she approached the goddess, the other girls not far behind her. Oh how much it pleased her to see the bane of her existence humbled like this. Only the goddess demise would bring her more joy. But there was still time for that later. Even Artemis would find her just end in this war. And Deianira would do anything in her power to be present for that or better yet, to be the one to twist the knife in the wound that would kill her.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen." She said gleefully, "How does it feel, to be the slave for once and not the slaver?"

The goddess could only raise her head slowly, to look at who had spoken to her. She was weak and tired. Stains of golden ichor showed where she had been wounded, her hair sticking to her skin, clotted and without its usual luster. The cuts and bruises had long healed, as they always did for the goddess, but the pain was still lingering. A phantom of the abuse Artemis had to endure at the hands of Atlas and his minions.

"Deianira..." Artemis said hoarsely. "My dear fallen girl..." There was pity in her eyes, as she watched her former servant.

Utter hatred twisted Deianira's face, as she punched the goddess in the face. "Don't you dare calling me your girl. I was never yours. Unlike the others you never managed to brake me, even after decades of enslavement." She punched the goddess again, smirking now, as she could see the ichor run down from Artemis' split lip.

"You've always been only a slave of your own nightmares, Deianira... I never once restricted you in any way. Maybe I should have done it, maybe that would have prevented you from falling so far into the darkness of your own hatred." Artemis said through ragged breaths. "And now you even condemn others to follow you into the abyss."

"We," Deianira said, as she gestured towards herself and the other girls behind her, "we are free from you. Our chains are broken."

The goddess could only watch in silence, as the other girls agreed with Deianira. There were five of them. Five of her Hunters, who had abandoned her. She knew all of them. She'd known them for years, some of them even for more than a century. But with them being here with Deianira, what had happened to the rest? Had the Hunt fallen apart in her absence? Had Zoe not managed to rally the girls after her disappearance? Not knowing the answer was the worst torture for the goddess in this situation...

"Deianira, don't waste my time. You may torture the goddess once you are done with your task!" A booming voice commanded.

Artemis and her former Hunters looked towards the far end of the plateau. There stood a gigantic man. He looked like a living Greek statue, muscular and powerful. It was the Titan Atlas. The general of Kronos' new army.

Deianira quickly distanced herself from Artemis and approached the titan. She knew better than to argue with the likes of Atlas. She had no intention to die any time soon.

"General," Deianira said, as she knelt before him. Her fellow hunters did the same.

"As much as it pleases me to watch you torture Zeus' whore of a daughter, we have things to do." Atlas said darkly, "Olympus has issued a quest to save this bitch. Both the campers and children of the sun are on their way here."

"Children of the sun?" One of the girls asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"Zeus has managed to alienate his most powerful son, the sun god Apollo. He and his children are outcasts now. But they and a select few other demigods have formed a new group under the leadership of Apollo's champion, Percy Jackson." Deianira told here calmly. She, too, had only heard about this recently and had not yet had the time to tell her friends.

"The more they fight amongst each other, the easier it will be for us to destroy Olympus. Those bastards are doing our job for us." Atlas laughed darkly.

Deianira did not join in, she was far more contemplative about this. She still had hope that she would be able to convince Ariadne to join her side in this conflict. It would be the ultimate blow against Artemis. It would break her spirit far more than anything else. But Ariadne was a daughter of Apollo, so she was most likely with the rest of his children. Separating her from her friends would be far more difficult now, when they were actively waiting for an enemy attack.

"You, Deianira, will lead our troops to hunt those demigods down. End their quest. Kill them all and bring me their corpses." Atlas commanded.

"As you command, General."

She stood up to leave, followed by her group, when Atlas spoke again. "Your little friends stay with me. We will hunt... something else."

Deianira gritted her teeth, as she heard this. She could only hope that the titan's intentions were really just hunting for this mystical beast he was so obsessed with. But she knew that all gods and titans had one thing in common. They were depraved creatures, who know no boundaries and have not even a shred of honor or morals. She had not saved her friends from Artemis, only to see them suffer at the hands of this man... but what choice did they have?

She looked at the other girls. They said nothing, but they nodded. They knew the risks when they joined her. They would bear this burden, whatever it may be. All of them would do their duty, so one day they might be free to live their lives as they please. So she would go with Atlas troops to hunt down the demigods... her friends would follow Atlas, wherever he might lead them. But she would not forget this. He would pay, too.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so much for the teaser.**

 **It had been asked in one of the few reviews for the last chapter and here is the answer. Deianira is still around and kicking, well mostly kicking Artemis. Who would have doubted that a fallen huntress would show up in a story about Artemis? Deianira will be a real antagonist this story and get much more screen time than in Trials, where she had only been introduced. Of course Luke and Ethan will have their moments, but their time comes later. For now Deianira will be the face of Atlas' menace.**

 **Alright, with the teaser out of the way, the next chapter will come soon. Unless something big happens, the next real chapter will be out in one or two weeks from now. At least that's the plan.**


	4. IV

**Okay people, I feel like I do this a lot recently, but I really wish to say that I am sorry about the delay for this chapter. Life has the habit of messing up all my plans and when it isn't life, my friends and family do a good job at keeping me busy and away from writing.**

 **But as promised, here is the next chapter...**

* * *

The forest around them was devoid of any sounds, no animals, not even the wind in the branches could be heard. Almost eerily, as they walked on. This was their hunt and their prey was near. They just knew it. They would get the monster and with it, they would find the prison of the goddess in chains.

"We shouldn't waste our time here!" Thalia exclaimed hotly, "The prophecy said we need to move west!"

"And what else did your oh so great prophecy foretell?" Percy asked her, his annoyance obvious in his tone and the sour expression on his face.

"I… don't remember all of it..."

"Idiot air head," Percy said, as he stalked away.

"Ass," Thalia called after him, but he ignored her and walked away, to find the trail of their enemy. "Is he always like that?"

Zoe, who was near them, only shook her head, as she watched Percy's retreating form. "You are the fool, Thalia Grace."

"Shove it, girl scout. No one has asked for your opinion," Thalia replied sourly. As if the traitorous son of Poseidon wasn't bad enough, now she also had to endure the lieutenant of the Hunt, a girl she had disliked from the moment they had first met, so many years ago. Worse yet, Zoe and Percy are usually working together. A man hating huntress and the traitor!

"You still don't understand a thing. Percy would rather not be here," Zoe told her.

Thalia snorted, as she grimaced, "Of course not. Why would a traitor wish to free an Olympian goddess."

"You are just as narrow minded as your father," Zoe muttered. "Percy has always served Olympus loyally as Apollo's champion. But your father's paranoia has forced him into the role of an enemy of Olympus."

"Yeah right. He would rather be somewhere else, plotting Olympus downfall," Thalia replied stubbornly.

Zoe paused for a moment, as she sought for the right words to make the girl understand. But that seemed a task of epic proportions, as Thalia had obviously inherited her father's thick skull. So she decided that the unmasked truth was the only way to try and make her understand.

"Percy would rather be out there, trying to save his best friend. Ariadne, the daughter of Apollo has been kidnapped by a Titan and Percy would much rather search this whole world to find her, than to work for those gods who have branded him a traitor just for existing."

Thalia did not reply immediately. Instead she looked pensive, if only for a short moment. She had obviously not known about this. As far as Zoe could tell, the daughter of Zeus had only a bare minimum of the information she would need for a qualified assessment of their situation. But neither the gods nor her fellow campers had obviously seen the need to tell her everything. Oh well, maybe they were at fault as well, seeing as none of Percy's group had been especially forthcoming with information either.

"Then why is he here, when his friend is in danger?" The words sounded more accusing than she might have intended, as she looked more subdued than before. It pleased Zoe to see that there might be more sense in the girl than in her father.

"Because Zeus himself has threatened to kill every last person Percy cares for," Zoe replied, her voice mirroring the loathing she felt for the ruler of Olympus.

Thousands of years of loyal service and only now she had come to realize how cruel the masters she serves truly are. She had been sheltered in the Hunt, protected from the intrigues and petty games of the gods. For all the faults of the Olympian Council, Artemis had always protected her girls. Almost too well, too zealously. But Zoe was still sure that Artemis was one of the few good gods among the Olympians, why else would she do all in her power to protect her girls? But the others, even those who claimed neutrality in the schemes were far worse than anyone could have imagined.

"We are at war. None of us can expect to survive for ever," Thalia finally replied.

"Stubborn fool," was Zoe's only reply. "Come now, let's find this Thorn guy. He is our only lead at the moment."

"Just what makes you think that Thorn knows where Artemis is? Don't get me wrong, I want to kill him more than anyone else here. He has killed Annabeth and he will pay, but why should he know where they are keeping Artemis?" Thalia asked.

Zoe did not answer her. She had already turned away and approached the other two hunters in their group. It only angered Thalia more, not that it was particularly hard to do that.

"There!" one of the hunters shouted. They had found the trace of Thorn and like bloodhounds, they would not stop until they have caught their prey.

But surprisingly it was not one of Artemis' hunters, who lead the charge, as one would have expected during a hunt, but it was Percy, who seemed more determined than the others to see this quest done. With his sword in hand, he raced through the forest as fast as his feet would carry him, so he could find the monster they were looking for. The rest of them had difficulties keeping up, except for Zoe, who was far more agile and faster than the rest of them.

Again Thalia cursed her own perceived weakness in this situation. The years as a tree had left her body in a sorry condition, her strength was barely existent and her endurance had been far below average. Even the hard training after her return from the near dead existence, could not undo all that had happened. And she hated it. Too feel inferior to anyone, especially the great traitor. It insulted her pride as a daughter of Zeus. Her father was the strongest god, dammit, so she should be among the strongest demigods. In this group she felt like the dead weight that slowed them all down.

Percy was totally oblivious to the mental struggle of his cousin, as his focus was solely on Thorn. He had to find him. He had to make him talk. The sooner they could save Artemis, the sooner he could turn his attention to finding Ariadne. That was all that mattered at the moment. Not the war between gods and titans, not the delusions of the megalomaniac king of Olympus. Only his friend in need. The rest could turn to dust for all her cared.

"Come here, Thorn! Stop hiding you coward," Percy yelled.

He had just left the forest and entered a barren field. He was sure that the monster was here. Thorn had chosen this place for their fight. He had lead them here. Maybe it was a trap, but a trap looses most of its danger when you know its there. And Percy was prepared for anything. Or at least he hoped as much.

"Bravo, Champion of the Sun! You've found me. Consider it your greatest accomplishment as a hunter… and your last," Thorn said snidely, as he appeared on the field. "And you brought your little friend as well. Two of my master's foes at once. Not even the General will be able to deny me my rightful place in the master's army!"

"A manticore," Zoe said, as she saw Thorn in his real form, "This will be a challenge."

"I don't have time to pretend he is a challenge," Percy said impatiently. "Keep his tail occupied, I will cut the rest into tiny little pieces."

"Careful, Percy, Zeus' daughter will be here any minute. The gods already fear your strength, show too much and they will be forced to act," Zoe cautioned him. She had no idea how powerful he had really become. But Apollo had helped him with the boost he had received from Helios' flames and it was clear that a demigod who controls the water and fire would be more powerful than any other.

Another one of their group had caught up. But it wasn't Thalia, it was Clarisse. Ares' daughter was grinning like a madman as she saw Thorn. She gripped her spear tightly, barely able to wait for them to attack the beast.

"We attack together, Clarisse. Avoid the spikes and the tail, devastate the rest," Percy told her.

"Finally, time for revenge," Clarisse said, "Last time you escaped me, Thorn, this time I will see you turn to dust!"

One last look at his companions was enough for Percy. They were as ready as they could get. And as the flames on his blade flickered to life, he charged at his enemy with the intention to maim. Thorn would talk, but he wouldn't need to be in one piece for that.

* * *

As the demigods attacked their dangerous foe, two Titans watched them from afar. Rhea and Asteria had come to watch over the ill fated quest Zeus had started. It wasn't that they disliked the idea of saving the goddess Artemis or putting Atlas in his place, far from it. Both would serve their plans quite well, but this quest put unnecessary strain on the already burdened mind of the queen's chosen.

"He has grown powerful. What a little meddling can do to a simple demigod," Asteria commented, as she watched Percy's fight. "To think that he has managed to recruit both campers and hunters to his side and get them to work together… a century ago we would have decried any such notion as preposterous."

"We have to disabuse ourselves of our believes when it comes to this particular demigod," Rhea said, an amused smile playing on her lips. "My grandson has learned the hard way that power has to be earned. His growth will only further rile up my foolish sons, but he is already beyond their reach."

"They will kill him. Sooner or later," Asteria warned. She frowned, as her words left her queen unaffected. On the contrary, her worry only amused Rhea more and more.

"Zeus can't kill him. Poseidon can't claim him… and Hades… he cares little for the boy these days. He has his own progeny to keep an eye on."

"That girl… she is close."

"Of course. Death is never far from battles. But she will not deter Perseus on his path," Rhea said. "But I believe, that it would be in our best interest for them stop wasting their time. Zeus' daughter has nearly caught up to them. We can't have my chosen reveal too much too soon. I wish to keep some surprises for that fool Atlas."

"My queen, how may I be of service," another woman appeared at Rhea's side, kneeling, her head bowed deeply in subservience.

"Atalanta, end this fight, but be subtle about it. They wish to capture the manticore alive," Rhea commanded sternly.

"At once, my queen," Atalanta replied and sprung to action, her bow in hand.

An amused chuckled escaped Rhea, as she watched her servant enter the fray. Maybe this was a bit too much. Perseus alone would have been able to defeat this enemy. It would have been a long and arduous fight, but victory was a certainty. But he had shown his ability to adapt to those around him. He fought well alongside Artemis' precious lieutenant and Ares' wroth daughter. And Apollo's golden children were just as good as his servants. Yes, she knew that she had made the right decision to get involved in his life. Her wariness had been unfounded.

"It is as good as over. The daughter of war has fatally wounded her prey," Asteria said. "They have to be quick, Thorn is not long for this world now. I still don't understand why you forced Apollo to keep Artemis' location a secret. Why make this difficult for him?"

"To placate my foolish son," Rhea replied simply. Her darkening expression and the displeased note in her voice only showed a fraction of the true extent of her displeasure with Zeus. She had such great hopes for him, it was why she had protected him from her husband, why she had not prevented her children from ending the Titans' rule. Had she known the consequences of her actions, had she known that Zeus would grow up to be his father's son and not his mother's child… It was too late for regrets now.

"So much trouble, only to convince a spoiled little boy that neither Apollo nor Perseus are in any way connected to Kronos' revival," Asteria muttered. "I pity Apollo and his brothers. No one deserves such a father. No wonder they are rebelling now."

"Apollo is rebelling, his brothers are too complacent or fearful to act on their own. But the golden boy has always been one to act first and think later. He is a creature of passion in some ways. I guess that is part of his charm," Rhea commented.

Asteria hummed in agreement. She actually liked her nephew. There was so much of Leto in him. In Artemis as well, for the matter, though the goddess pretended to be her father's perfect daughter a little too well. But Apollo… he had come back to them. He had accepted his role in the bigger play and though he had kept a rather large and dangerous secret, Asteria was glad to have him back. Lelantos felt the same, though her grumpy brother would never admit that having a part of Leto back among them was a great thing for their family.

"And once Apollo is back with us, we will have a nice and long chat with him about keeping secrets. Had I known about Selene before, we might have been able to save her. Now all we can do is protect her daughter… once we know where she has been brought to," Rhea continued.

"Hopefully the girl can withstand the burden you are about to place on her fragile shoulders. She had not been raised for the throne you plan to give her," Asteria replied cautiously. "She had been a mortal girl for all her life..."

"We have no choice. I will not fill our depleted ranks with Zeus' petulant daughter. Ariadne will play her part. Help her, if you wish. Ease her way into the much larger world she is about to enter. Go and help Apollo," that last part had been an order. One that left no room for arguments.

Asteria acquiesced to Rhea's command. With a graceful bow she quickly left, to find her nephew and his children. Just like Rhea's chosen, their hunt had only just begun. And as the Fates play their wicked games with all of them, both groups now hunt for the moon… but in the end there can only be one to take Selene's powers and neither group favors Artemis...

* * *

Percy, meanwhile, watched with grim satisfaction as Thorn thrashed helplessly on the ground. The manticore had been beaten, his limbs mangled and his venomous tail cut off and turned to dust. It had been a good fight, albeit a short one. Zoe and Clarisse had been a great help, but it was the brief interference of another huntress that turned the tide in their favor. He had recognized her, of course. Atalante. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about his grandmother's continued meddling in his life, but he wouldn't complain about the aid of this huntress. Twice now she had helped him and he would not be ungrateful by rejecting her, due to his unease about his grandmother's interference.

"Not so haughty now," Clarisse spat at the monster. Her hands were still on the hilt of her spear, which was buried deeply into the monster's chest. She only waited for a chance to end the manticore. With this her honor would be restored and the shame of loosing another camper in the fight against him would be washed away.

"And now, my dear friend, we talk," Percy said, as he crouched down next to Thorn's head. "A little bird has told me that you have recently signed on as a soldier in the army of an old friend of mine. He has recently begun to rebuild his army and I would really like to talk to him about one of his current guests."

"Pah, begone you puny demigod. Atlas will crush you for this! He will avenge me," Thorn yelled at him in crazed anger. "You all will die!"

Atlas… that was unexpected. Percy had actually expected Kronus' forces to be behind this. Luke and his peons, maybe with the help of some more monsters. But this was… unexpected, but it would not bother him too much. Maybe this was even better. Though he had no idea how he was supposed to stand up against a Titan, Atlas was obviously preferable to Kronus.

"Atlas… where is that coward?"

"He will brake you. Just like he has broken that blond bitch I brought him as a gift," Thorn sneered. The monster chuckled, before his body shuddered and his breathing became a gurgling sound. Moments later Thorn was dead and all that remained was the golden dust, that the wind quickly carried away.

The demigods watched almost impassive as the fearful monster expired. None of them felt pity for him. None of them would mourn him. It wasn't as if he was gone for ever. Thorn would be back, sooner or later. But at least he had revealed some secrets before he died. Valuable secrets.

"So she is alive!" Clarisse exclaimed almost triumphantly.

"Who is alive?"

Thalia had arrived, just as the monster died. She was out of breath and livid, ready to punch the next best person she could find. And her ire quickly found a target, when she saw Percy's smug grin. He was obviously amused by her late arrival.

"YOU!" Thalia yelled, as she approached Percy, "This was your doing! You ordered your minions to keep me away! Why?"

It was true. Percy had actually asked Kayla and Sherman to delay Thalia and Malcolm, should they find Thorn. And by the looks of it, they had done a marvelous job. And judging by their grins, they had a lot of fun doing it. They had not just managed to keep Zeus' proud daughter away, they had also delayed the rest of Camp Half-blood's delegation. Yet strangely enough, the two boys looked hardly bothered by it.

"You are a burden, Grace. You think that you are all powerful. Well think again. A few months ago you had been a tree, but now that you are back as a demigod, you suddenly think that you can rival our strength. Let me tell you something, you are weak," Percy told her pointedly.

"You arrogant bastard!"

"But we got what we have come for. Now we know our target. Atlas keeps the goddess near his former prison," Zoe said. Her voice wavered lightly, as she thought about this turn of events. She had not spared a single thought on her father for many centuries, but now she would be forced to face him.

As she looked around, she saw that none of the others seemed particularly eager to face a Titan like Atlas in battle. Even her fellow hunters, who had just returned from scouting the area, looked slightly paler than usual, as they heard about this revelation. Zoe resolved that it would have been better to come alone and send the rest of the girls with Phoebe and Apollo. But it was too late for that now. They had no idea where Apollo and his small army of demigods had vanished to, they only knew that they were in pursuit of Eos. Now she would have to send them away, to pick off the stragglers during the fight against Atlas, just as she had done before their fight against the manticore. They wouldn't like it, but it would be for their own survival.

But there was one more thing. Someone had helped them. Zoe had barely seen the person. She was sure that it had been a woman, another huntress. She doubted that it had been one of hers. But who else? And why?

"We should talk," Percy was suddenly next to her, a hand on her shoulder, as he gestured for her to follow him away from the group. Zoe only nodded minutely, before she went with him.

"So?"

"I believe it would be best to inform you now, before something happens that we all might regret," Percy said. There was a reluctance in his voice that Zoe had not experienced before. "You have seen her, our little aide, who had blinded the manticore with her arrows."

So Percy knew about this huntress. But who was it? Another Titan? She shouldn't be surprised if that was actually the truth. The son of Poseidon had somehow managed to turn himself into a major target for all gods and titans.

"I believe that it was Atalanta..."

"Atalanta?" Zoe growled. She remembered that girl. She had been one of Artemis' blessed hunters, but she left. But Zoe was sure that Atalanta had been killed, after she and her lover had defiled a temple with their unrestrained passion. "Why is she here?"

"Well you have already met Lelantos, so it shouldn't be a surprise that there are other Titans, who have… decided to bestow their attention on me… I don't know why exactly, but Atalanta has been sent to watch over me… by the Titan queen Rhea."

Zoe was speechless. Rhea? As in Kronos' wife Rhea? As in the mother of the six oldest gods on the Olympian council? This woman was meddling with Percy's life… this was bad. Really bad.

"Why? Why is the Titan queen intent on protecting you, Percy?"

"Beats me," he shrugged. "She has been a part of my life for some time now, though in recent months she has followed my wish to stay away. But that did not stop her from sending someone else." Percy sighed, as he looked back towards the rest of their group. The other seven demigods were oblivious to their conversation, which was good enough for him. The less people know the better. He had only told Zoe because he trusts her and wants her to be able to trust him in return.

"Should Thalia find out about this, nothing will stop her father from murdering us all. Do any of the others know about this?"

"No, I don't think so. There are only two others who know the truth. Apollo and Calypso," Percy told her.

"Why Calypso… no… don't mention it," she shook her head in revulsion. Of course her harlot of a sister would worm his secrets out of him. Zoe could only wonder how long it had taken her to succeed. "And Ariadne?"

"No. I wanted to talk to her about everything, especially after our P.E. teacher has turned out to be a servant of Rhea, but Eos came and… well you know the rest." He shuffled a bit uncomfortably. He is a good friend to Ariadne, not even Zoe could deny that. Keeping secrets must have been hard on the son of Poseidon, who values loyalty greatly.

"I see," Zoe mumbled. "We should hurry. The sooner we find Lady Artemis, the sooner we can placate Zeus and put this mess behind us for some time."

"Yeah. Can't wait to get rid of Zeus' precious little daughter..."

"You and her have more in common than you might think," Zoe told him. She did not like Thalia Grace, she could barely even tolerate her. But she shared some traits with Percy. Maybe that was why they clashed so horribly at the moment. They could be equals in most ways, but the Olympian power struggle would force them to become enemies in the near future… "Such a waste..."

"What?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's get back to the others. We have to get to Garden of the Hesperides. Only there we will find Lady Artemis and her captors," Zoe said. This was only the beginning of their journey, yet she feared that this might also be their last...

* * *

 **A/N: So much for today.**

 **First up, I don't hate Thalia, so please spare me your hateful posts about how she has appeared this time. She barely knows enough to understand the situation she has been thrust into. From her POV Percy is a traitor, all the people she trusts tell her as much. And she is a rather stubborn one... her attitude will change with time, when she understands what is really happening.**

 **The fight between Percy and Thorn sadly did not make it into this chapter. I just did not have the time to meet with my stuntmen and coordinators to plan and recreate the fight to make it believable enough. But seriously, I rather publish the chapter like this, instead of including a crappy fight scene.**

 **Well now Percy's group has a goal. But that does not mean that they will arrive the day after tomorrow and save the day. It's still a long way to go and there are more than a few foes standing in their way.**

 **Next chapter we will see both Apollo's little army, as well as Deianira's army. Things will become troublesome...**


	5. V

**Seriously, I'm done apologizing for taking too much time to update. By now all of you know that I have only little time to spare for my work here. But I do try to update. So please just bear with me for a little while longer. It will be worth it, I can promise that...**

 **So at the very least I can give you the second longest chapter so far, longer than the last two combined. So have fun...**

* * *

"If I were a bat shit crazy titan, where would I hide?" Will asked loudly, as he sat with several of his siblings in the living room of one of Apollo's houses.

"Disney Land?" Austin, one of Will's younger brothers half asked, half stated. When all other occupants looked at him as if he had lost his mind, he smirked sheepishly and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"What? Why would she be there of all places?" Will asked his brother.

"Dunno. She could be anywhere in the world and well, I've never been to Disney Land… so..." Austin trailed off at the end and decided that his feet were much more interesting than anything else in the room.

"Seriously, you people are so fucked up. Get your priorities straight," Phoebe, the leader of the remaining Hunter's of Artemis, spat at the boy. "We have to find Lady Artemis' niece, so she can be brought back to the Hunt, where she belongs!"

"That is not your decision to make," Michael Yew, one of the older children of Apollo, said quickly. "She is one of us and should you even think about forcing her back to your fucked up camping club, you will have to face us first."

"That can be arranged!" Phoebe replied eagerly, as she jumped up and ran up to Michael. Both huntress and son of Apollo stared at each other, daring the opposite to make the first mistake.

The whole room, demigods and hunters alike, watched with baited breath, how this scene would unfold. Tensions had always been high, but under Percy's and Zoe's leadership both groups had to accept each other and work together. Even if it was only for a short time, they had become one. But both Percy and Zoe were now on their way to rescue the goddess Artemis and without proper guidance, both groups partly reverted back to their former antagonism.

"This is enough! Dammit, Michael, don't force me to be the responsible one here. I suck at being the responsible one," Will yelled, as he stepped between Micheal and Phoebe. "You can kill each other once we have Ariadne back, but not a moment sooner!"

"Who made you the new leader?" Phoebe spat at him.

"Common sense! Now sit down or get out. Nightshade will hear about you acting against her express orders!" Will growled at her.

She hesitated for a moment, taken aback by the sudden ferocity in the eyes of the usually goofy boy. As her eyes wandered towards her fellow hunters, she saw that only a hand full of them stood, ready to jump to her aid. How had she missed this? Had the others really agreed with Zoe's order? Surely they had seen the same fault in their lieutenant's decision to coexist with these… these… boys… No, she couldn't accept this. So she turned on her heel and left the room swiftly.

"Let her go. It's not worth the hassle to argue with her," Naomi, one of the other hunters said, as she stood before her fellow sisters. "When you have seen as much as she has, you just can't let go of your hatred." She sounded sad, but some of the other girls merely nodded. All of them had seen the worst of men, but Phoebe was among the oldest in their group and the millenia with Lady Artemis had only reinforced her hatred and suspicion.

"Fine with me," Will sighed. "You alright, Michael?"

"Yeah. But that girl seriously pisses me off," he muttered.

"Okay. Back to the problem at hand. Where the fuck is Eos? Any ideas? Any myths, legends, bed time stories, visions or alcohol induced hallucinations?" Will asked the others in the room.

But no one knew an answer. It was aggravating to no end. Will had a special interest in finding Ariadne, especially now that he knew what she really was. They had yet to disclose this secret to the rest of their siblings, but Will and his older brothers had decided that this could wait until Ariadne was safe. But with her being the immortal daughter of a god and a titaness, things would get messy really quick, once Zeus would find out about her.

"Well there is not much about Eos, but what about the people she hangs out with?"

"Okay, don't ask why, but our dad actually keeps books here, mostly about myths and legends of great heroes," Lee said, as he walked over to one of the bookshelves and read the titles written on the spines. "Though most of them are about him..."

"Why would he keep books in a house he rarely visits?" Naomi asked, oblivious to the smirks on some of the boys' faces.

"It helps," Will provided cautiously.

"With what?" Naomi insisted to know.

"Well… you see..."

"Chicks love guys who have brains and good looks," Lee finished the sentence Will dared not say in front of the man hating maidens.

"Seriously?" Naomi obviously had her doubts. Those boys didn't really believe that this works?

"Yeah. You see there has been that one daughter of Aphrodite at camp. Prettiest bird I'd ever seen at that time, but she only looked down on most boys. But when I showed her that I could recite half of my father's poems… well, let's say she was quite eager then," Lee explained, a shit eating grin on his face. He had obviously decided to ignore the glares of the girls in the room and just be his sunny self now that Phoebe was gone.

"Pig," one of the girls muttered angrily.

"And what happened to the girl?" Naomi asked, unusually eager to learn about the romantic exploits of someone else.

Lee's smirk disappeared and was replaced with a rueful look, "She died at the end of that summer, when a monster caught her on her way home from camp." His tone made it clear that he had not been able to forget that one encounter in his life. "But we should get back to finding Ariadne."

"Wow, now that is an unusual book. Pinky and dunderhead, the untold tales of how Ares courted the goddess of love… a quite… graphic book to boot..." Naomi said, as she took one of the books from the shelf. Her usually pale cheeks turned pink, the more she read in the book.

"Are you alright?" Will asked the dark haired huntress, after she had remained silent for quite some time.

"Yeah… everything's fine..." She trailed off.

Several of the other demigods in the room had taken some of the other books, not that any of the had hope to find a lead in there. The hunters remembered Apollo's stash of pornography from his house in Queens and even Apollo's own sons and daughters had their doubts about their father's reading habits. He was, after all, a man who was more likely to possess several copies of the Kamasutra than any works of Oscar Wilde or Jane Austen.

"Seriously, Ares and Aphrodite are so fucked up… they betray each other at every turn, yet they stay together," Naomi muttered. "Just look at how many women Ares has slept with after he had gotten together with the goddess of love… wait a moment. Will, look here!"

"What?" Will was curious, as he went over to the huntress and looked at the page in the book she wanted to show him. A smirk spread on his face, as he read the title of the chapter, "The Conquest of Dawn, Ares' victory and Eos' downfall."

"So, Eos is not just crazy, but also a slut. How fitting,"Naomi muttered.

"Not quite. Look. Apparently Ares was so taken with Eos, that Aphrodite's jealousy reached new heights. She cursed Eos to ever crave more, but to never find fulfillment."

"That does not help us," Lee interrupted them. "It does not tell us anything about where we can find Eos!"

"But it does give us an option. There might be a chance that either Ares or Aphrodite can tell us more about Eos," Will replied. It wasn't the answer they had been looking for, but it was a start. "Some of us can go and seek out either Ares or Aphrodite. The rest can follow other leads."

"This is a waste of time," Lee replied stubbornly. "Remember, we are outcasts now. Olympian gods won't help us."

"Ares might. He seemed quite fond of Percy, he even trained him as a child," Will shot back.

Lee looked unconvinced, but ultimately he shrugged and turned away. He wouldn't stop his brother. Will knew Ariadne and Percy better than anyone. Maybe his younger brother was better suited to make decisions here. At least for a while…

"Alright, five come with me! Let's find the war god!" Will announced loudly.

Several of his siblings and even Naomi and one of the other hunters got up to follow him.

"Take the prissy with you. Nothing good will happen as long as she skulks around here," Lee told him.

But Will was not exactly enthusiastic about bringing Phoebe… but then again, leaving her with Michael was begging for a disaster to happen. So he would have to take one for the team and watch over the hate filled huntress… ah, the joys of being the one in command.

* * *

She watched from the darkness, as the group of demigods decided to spend the night in a shady hotel in the middle of nowhere. She had watched them for some time now, waiting for the right moment to show herself. Yet every time she wanted to approach Percy Jackson, something happened. Monsters had hounded the group on their entire way from Florida to Texas and forced them away from any major cities or most forms of transportation.

But now, the time seemed more opportune. Most of the group was in their rooms, away from Percy. Only one of them was with him, as he swam in the small pool in the hotel's backyard. She remembered the girl, who was with him now. Zoe Nightshade, the lieutenant of the Hunt. But she was confused why this girl was still with Percy… this was truly odd. Well his entire group seemed strange to her. There was some infighting and not of the good sort either…

* * *

"You are still worried, Zoe?" Percy asked, as he swam towards the edge of the pool, where Zoe was sitting quietly on one of the chairs, her gaze directed towards the moon.

"We are too slow, Percy. I fear that we might be too slow to save Lady Artemis from whatever grizzly fate Atlas has in mind for her," Zoe replied somberly.

"It's been only a week, Zoe. If we keep this up and find a ride, we should reach California in another week."

"Too slow."

"This isn't the only thing eating at you," he commented, as he watched her more closely. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Can I? Really?" She asked. She did not look at him, else she would have seen the worried look on his face.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I consider you my friend, Zoe. A slightly sadistic friend, who loves to turn my rear into a pincushion," he snickered at the end, clearly remembering the good old days, when he was merely Apollo's champion, someone who guards the hunters for his mentor. The time, when Zoe hated his guts and everything else seemed utterly normal and boring. He misses those days. Before Zeus, before Rhea…

"A friend… my lady would not like that in the slightest… but the idea is oddly comforting," Zoe sighed, as she finally looked at him. "Can I trust you, Percy?"

"Always!"

Her lips formed the ghost of a smile, before the somberness of her eyes overtook her once more. "You do remember who my father is, do you?"

He actually had to think about this. He should remember it, he knew that much. He had found out about this from her sister. Calypso, Zoe's paternal half-sister… the daughter of Tethys and… "Oh..."

"Yeah. It will be such a happy reunion," Zoe was rarely sarcastic, but apparently the imminent meeting with her father, the titan Atlas, was a heavy burden on her shoulders. "And not just him. We will have to cross the Garden of the Hesperides first. My lovely sisters will surely welcome me with open arms, millenia after disowning me and leaving me to die in the wilderness."

Percy finally climbed out of the pool and dried himself with a short wave of his hand. At another time he would have boasted with his control over water, but he realized the it would a really dumb moment for selfish pride. Instead he walked over to Zoe and knelt down before the girl. Only then he could see how disturbed the otherwise prideful and dignified huntress really was.

"I've avoided my former family at all cost. Ever since Lady Artemis has taken me in, I never even wasted a single moment thinking about them. Until now..."

"It's fine. We are with you. You won't have to face them alone. And once we have saved Artemis, you won't have to worry about your family ever again, I promise," Percy told her.

It was odd to see Zoe so vulnerable. But he appreciated the fact that she trusted him to such an extent, that she would let her guard down around him. He doubted that many had ever seen her like this. Unlike her sister Calypso, who was much more open with her feelings, Zoe was usually too guarded and too entrenched in her believes to show any form of weakness.

"No," she said finally, "Nothing will ever be like it had been before, Percy. Even with Lady Artemis free from her prison, nothing will ever be okay again. We are at the start of a war. The titans are back and they won't go peacefully. I don't even know whose side we are on at the moment! Certainly not Olympus, we are with you, but you are an enemy of the council..."

"We will decide on our own what we fight for!" He said with conviction, his face filled with such determination that Zoe couldn't help herself but belief him.

"And Rhea?"

"Grandmother is… I'll worry about her when the time comes," Percy conceded.

Suddenly Zoe jumped up, fully alert, her eyes scanning the area around them. She had seen something, she was sure of it. They were not alone and whoever the spy was, he or she was not part of their group. All others were already sleeping peacefully in their beds. No, whoever this was, this person was dangerous, she could feel it. This tantalizing sensation when a powerful enemy is near.

"We are not alone, Percy! Be on your guard," she warned her companion.

The son of Poseidon knew better than to question her and quickly summoned his sword from Apollo's amulet. An enemy, here, so close to a major city… it was glaringly obvious that they wouldn't be safe, no matter where they go, but he had hoped for a small moment of respite at least. But neither gods nor titans would cut them any slack…

"Don't be afraid, I come in peace," a familiar voice said calmly. It was a girl, one that Percy remembered all too well. "I always wanted to say that, but most people I meet these days are those who flee from death and… well my encounters with them are hardly peaceful." She chuckled mirthfully, clearly amused by her own words.

"Bianca," Percy called out to her. He still kept his sword in hand, just in case. The last time he had seen her, she and her pet Cerberus had come with a one way ticket to Tartarus for the pirate captain on Circe's island. And even now she was clad in that same dark armor, armed and battle ready at all times.

"I'm glad that you remember me, cousin. It would have sucked, had you forgotten me. You are the only family member outside of the Underworld that I actually care about," Bianca told him honestly, as she approached Percy with open arms, to hug him.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching for Zoe to see her reaction to this. But eventually he dismissed his sword and gave Bianca a hug, though it felt oddly forced.

"It's nice to know that you care about your cousin… but what about Nico?" Percy voiced his confusion. Why would she say that he was the only one outside of the Underworld? He had seen Nico with the campers, before they split up to search for Artemis. Bianca's brother was alive and well, so what was this all about?

"Who?" He would have believed her to play games with him, but when he saw the genuine confusion on her face, his suspicion grew.

"Nico! You remember him, right? Small guy, energetic, curious, a pain in the ass most of the time? That Nico. Your little brother!"

"I don't have a brother with that name, Percy," she told him, her voice filled with conviction, "But no matter for now. I will see what this is about later. I've come here with an urgent message, cousin."

Percy wasn't happy about this at all. Had she really forgotten about her own brother? Or was this her father's doing? Hades had been very displeased with his son's unwitting involvement in the theft of Zeus' symbol of power. But would the god really go this far?

"What do you want?" Zoe asked, when Percy remained silent.

"A warning, huntress. There are people among your group, who will die soon and you would be well advised to stay away, lest you might end up as collateral damage!"

"Who? And how do you know this?" Zoe demanded to know.

Bianca sported a strangely cold smile, as she looked at the huntress, "Thalia Grace, the daughter of the traitorous brother," she said coldly.

Percy's eyes widened as he heard this. Sure, he disliked Thalia severely. She was arrogant, domineering and a general pain the ass most of the time. She had gotten better at fighting and wasn't a total nuisance any more, after all the canon fodder the titans had thrown at them so far, but she was still overestimating her own strength. But her death… Percy did not want her or anyone else dead, but should Thalia really die on this quest, things would only get worse. Zeus would never forgive them and a war would be inevitable.

"How do you know this?" Zoe repeated her second question, much more forcefully, as she had an arrow aimed at Bianca's head.

"Oh, that's easily explained. It is because I will kill her!" Bianca replied nonchalantly, as if it was an everyday thing to kill your own cousin and start a war that might destroy everything.

"Wrong answer," Zoe said, as she released the arrow.

But Bianca was faster and managed to avoid the attack and rushed towards Zoe. She pulled a sword out of the shadows, a slim rapier, and swung at Zoe. The huntress had to jump to the side to avoid the quick attack.

"I won't let you stand in my way. Zeus' tyranny must end! I am the harbinger of darkness, I will bring an end to his mad reign!" Bianca exclaimed.

"And you think he is the only mad one? A war with Olympus, now, when the Titans rise to retake their thrones? You will doom us all," Zoe yelled.

Percy finally came to his senses, as he realized that Bianca was not joking. As if his life wasn't fucked up enough, now his cousin and uncle had to come and try to make everything even worse. Just fantastic.

"Don't do this, Bianca," Percy warned her. "Your plan will only kill us all!"

"My home is the empire of the dead, Percy, death is my life," she replied stoically, as she continued her attacks against Zoe. "And you won't stop me."

"Just watch me try," this seriously pissed him off. Everything was going to hell. Literally. What was next, his father trying to drown cities to increase the size of the oceans? Just why were the elder gods so messed up?

"I knew you wouldn't see reason, Percy. But you can't stop me. He won't let you!"

Suddenly a hulking beast burst from the shadows and tried to maul Percy. Three heads tried to sink their teeth into him, as three pairs of blood red eyes watched his every move. The Cerberus. Bianca had sicked her fucking Cerberus on him, just what he needed. He really had no time for this.

Zoe only saw a brief glimpse of Percy's struggle, before Bianca demanded her full attention once more. The daughter of Hades had become strong in those two years in the Underworld. Whatever her father had done to her, it had changed the girl. Zoe remembered her as the timid little thing they had found in that casino in Las Vegas. She had been such a nice person, she would have been such a great hunter. But Hades had gotten his hands on her first and now she was just another monster in his army. But Zoe was very proficient, when it comes to dealing with monsters.

"You will not succeed, Bianca. The only death you will cause will be your own," Zoe told her.

She didn't like this, but she would end this threat. They had no time to deal with this girl and her insanity. So with one swift strike, her hunting knife found its mark and cut a deep gap into Bianca's throat.

Bianca stopped immediately, her eyes wide in shock. Her mouth stood ajar, in a scream that couldn't escape her cut throat. Even her Cerberus had stopped its attack on Percy and looked at his mistress with a loud whine. And Percy… his shock was obvious and unlike her, he would not have taken Bianca's life. Zoe knew that. It was a weakness of his. One he would learn to overcome in time…

But to everyone's shock, a black mist escaped from Bianca's gaping wound, in stead of the blood that should have been spilled. And the wound sealed itself, right before Zoe's eyes, until only her pale and unblemished skin remained. Not even a trace of the usually very much deadly wound. And then Bianca chuckled darkly.

"You see, I can't be stopped," Bianca told her gleefully.

She was about to attack again, when someone grabbed her arm from the shadows. Bianca looked in mortification, as the form of her mentor appeared from the shadows, his dark face marred by a deep frown. Thanatos was not happy and an unhappy death god was never a good thing for anyone.

"Master… I..."

"You disappoint me, Bianca. Have I not forbidden you to seek revenge for your mother? Have I not told you, that such rash actions will only jeopardize your father's agenda?" Thanatos said coldly.

"I only wanted to..."

"Your actions demand rectification. I will have to be more thorough this time," the god said, before he disappeared in the shadows again, Bianca in tow.

The Cerberus remained only for a few more moments. It growled angrily at Percy, who had managed to inflict quite a number of deep cuts onto the beast. But the fight was over and the monster limped away and disappeared into the night.

"What the fuck?" Percy said, after some moments of disbelieving silence.

Zoe obviously had no answers of her own, so she could only shrug. This attack had happened so fast, so unexpected, yet it ended just as quickly. And now the two of them remained alone once more, next to the hotel pool, in the dead of the night.

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" Apollo asked his aunt, as Asteria lead him through the ruins of the Oracle at Delphi.

He knew this place well, he would even go as far to say that there was no one alive who knew it better than him. This was his oracle and temple after all. But it had been derelict for a long time, as the oracle moved away, following Olympus. This place was little more than dead stones and old memories now. So he was quite confused, why Asteria had decided to bring him here.

"How long has it been since your last visit here, Apollo?"

"A century, two perhaps. I do visit the temple from time to time, to see how my priestess there is doing, but I tend to ignore the ruins of the oracle," he shuddered slightly, as he remembered why he had avoided this place. Antigone, his priestess here. A servant who had loyally stood by his side for such a long time…

When he gifted her with immortality, he wanted to reward her for her dedication, yet he had not seen how dedicated this woman really was. Antigone was obsessed with him… and it gave him the creeps. He would have ignored her for a century or two, had it not been for the young boy he had decided to take care of. She had been good for Percy, especially after he had lost his own mother. Her dedication to his champion had kept Percy sane and normal… for a demigod child of the Big Three. With Percy at his side Antigone became… tolerable, but the boy wasn't here now…

"This oracle has a long history, Apollo. From its original creator's hands to yours, a lot has happened on the way there," Asteria told him. "And there are things you have never seen. Things that were supposed to remain unseen until the end of all days, after the Golden Age was lost."

"This makes no sense at all," Apollo grumbled, as they entered the ruins of the oracle's main building.

Asteria stopped once, in front of a ruined altar. Once a place for sacrifices and gifts for the oracle, it was now little more than a broken slab of stone, robbed of its splendor. But as Asteria laid her hands on its cold surface, it glowed faintly for a moment, before it returned to its dead state.

"The message has been sent, now we wait," Asteria told him.

"For whom?"

"Patience, dear nephew. I will call in a favor, to help us find your daughter. I had planned to use this to find Leto, but your dear mother will have to wait for a little while longer," she sounded sad and there was no reason to ask why. Apollo himself grit his teeth in frustration as he heard this. He, too, wanted to find his mother. But his father had banished and hidden her, long ago, to placate his raging wife. He and Artemis had tried so often to find their mother, but neither Apollo nor she had ever found even the faintest trace of Leto.

"Will this work?"

"I don't know," Asteria replied honestly, "but she knows things and if it is just, she will help us."

"Who?" he asked again.

"They are here," she replied ominously.

Then he saw them. Three women, all looking eerily similar to each other, all with the same impassive expression on their faces. For a moment he idly wondered if Antigone would have been the better choice. At least he could read her like an open book.

"Dike, Eirene, Eunomia," Asteria greeted them each. "I've come to see your mother."

Apollo's eyes widened. He recognized these names. They were three of the Horae, his sisters, daughters of Zeus and the titaness Themis. Then it began to dawn on him. They were here for Themis, one of the twelve great Titans… but also one who had been very close to his father for a long time… Would Themis really help them or was her loyalty still with Zeus?

"And for what reason?" Dike asked, as she approached the two first.

"Her time is valuable, she does not squander it to entertain petty gods," Eunomia added, her eyes never leaving Apollo as she approached them as well. "What do wish from her, sun god, you who brings chaos and disorder to this world?"

"We need your mother's help..." Asteria began, but she was rudely interrupted by Dike, who stood between her and Apollo now.

"It is not you, who will be judged. You bring this god here, to our honored mother, for answers that he does not deserve after what he had done," Dike exclaimed, her voice still as calm and impassive as her face.

"And what crime do you wish to judge me for?" Apollo demanded angrily. He had better things to do, than waste his time with these goddesses. The Horae had always been troublesome for Olympus, seeing as they only answered to their parents, if at all. It had never been easy to tell which agenda they follow. Or whose…

"You and the titan queen, you changed the fate of all. A war is upon us, which should have never been. Nothing is as our mother has foreseen. All has changed and now a fog clouds the future," Dike told him, "Such a crime merits punishment. Justice must be done."

Apollo could see that his aunt was quite worried now. She had obviously not expected such a thing to happen.

"You changed the life of the boy. You created a life that should not have been. Answer for yourself, why have you dared to upend the order we all have so carefully preserved for millenia?" Eunomia asked him.

She stood directly in front of him now, her eyes locked with his. Less than a hand's width separated their noses now, as the Horae's golden eyes stared into his blue ones.

"Are you by any chance referring to Percy and Ariadne?"

"The boy's fate was never to be your champion," Eunomia told him, "it is against the order of things, for one god to claim the children of another and train them in secret as your own weapon."

"Percy is not a weapon, he is just a boy who has the worst luck imaginable," Apollo replied heatedly.

"And the usurper of Selene's powers? Was her creation not your doing?" Eunomia pressed on. "Her existence threatens the balance and order. Her mother's throne was meant to remain forsaken."

"And you three. Who are you to judge me for my actions?" Apollo began his own verbal assault, "I saved Percy because no child deserves to die. It saved him because it was the right thing to do. The just thing to do," he looked at Dike as he said this. "And Ariadne has not been born for some hare brained plan to seize control. She is the proof that the love Selene and I shared was real!"

The third Horae finally moved closer, after she had watched her sisters without any movement, without any sign of recognition. With utmost serenity she moved through the room, until she stood in between her sisters. Just her presence was soothing Apollo's mind and it quelled his desire for quarrel with the two other goddesses. And though all Horae looked similar, Eirene was without a doubt the most beautiful of the three.

"Peace, sisters. A fight will not right the injustice, nor will it restore order. What is done is done. We move on, we adapt and our mother will guide us on the way," Eirene said calmly. And by all the gods, even her voice was beatific, it made all others sound raspy and broken. Not a single dark though could ever enter the mind, when she is close.

"So will you allow us to see Themis now?" Asteria asked hopeful, now that Eirene had seemingly diffused the situation with her presence alone. The girl was truly the embodiment of peace.

"I've been here all along, Asteria," another voice said from behind Apollo and Asteria.

Themis had entered the room the same way they had come. The personification of divine law. The original Oracle of Delphi. She looked beautiful, as all divine beings chose to, but there was a hardness in her expression, that Apollo knew all too well. To see the future is often more burden than gift.

"Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto. It has been a long time since I've last seen you. You had just been born, a babe, not yet knowing of its own fate. An eternity ago," Themis said, as she cupped Apollo's cheek lightly. "Forgive me for the burden of the oracle, I would not have given it up, had there been a way."

"Mother, this is the one who has destroyed order and spits on justice for his selfish pride!" Eunomia said scathingly.

Eirene tried to calm her sister once more, but Eunomia purposely avoided her and moved away.

"The fault lies not with Apollo. Neither does it lie with my sister. It all begins and ends with the same child. Perseus..." Themis said. "But you have come for different answers, have you not?"

"Lady Themis, I humbly beg for your help in finding my missing daughter," Apollo said demurely. If it would help him find Ariadne, he would forget his pride this once.

Themis smiled benevolently at him, almost motherly, as she guided him the way, "Come, Apollo, there is much to be said. But this is not the place for that. Your father might have his spies even here, where I reside." And so they left for a more secluded place. Away from Delphi.

* * *

Will looked quite perplexed, as their car stopped in front of a rundown diner, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Lee had brought them here in his car, after they had been told by some Satyrs that a certain war god frequents this place regularly.

"Looks shabby," Lee said, as he killed the engine of his old car. "Piece of shit. Not again," he cursed.

"Well, at the very least it got us here," Naomi quipped, quite happy to be out of the car, after so many hours on the road. "Let's hunt a god."

They got out of the car, but hesitated to go any closer to the diner. It wasn't the dirty and desolate look of the place, nor was it the angry music they could hear even this far away from the building. Nor were it the numerous bikes that stood in front of the place, almost as if they were a silent threat to any outsider foolish enough to venture inside. But it was the mere ridiculousness of their situation, five demigods, three sons of Apollo and two hunters, against the god of war.

"Damn rust bucket. I need to stay here and repair it, else we won't get back home," Lee said, as he opened the engine hood.

"Too scared to go inside?" Phoebe mocked him snidely.

"No, but unless I get this rustbucket back to work, any attempt to escape will be futile," Lee replied quickly.

"Just make sure that we can get away. I've got a bad feeling about this," Will said, before he walked the rest of the way towards the diner. Naomi, Phoebe and Austin followed him closely.

The inside of the diner was just as dirty as the outside, if not more so. More than two dozen men and a few women were inside, drinking and quarreling amongst each other, all under the watchful eyes of one man who sat at the bar. It was easy to tell that he was the leader of this gang,

But as the four demigods stepped inside, all eyes were suddenly directed at them and some of the men stopped them from getting any closer to their leader.

"No kids!" one of them grunted.

"Yeah, what he said," the other added dumbly.

Both were obviously more brawn than brain, but judging by their numbers, Will and his companions knew that they would be in for a near impossible fight. Not to mention the taboo. Demigods were not supposed to use their powers against humans… but then again, who would judge them? Olympus? Their were already traitors in their eyes. No, they only answered to their own conscience.

"Leave them be, they are my guests," their leader ordered imperiously.

The men complied immediately, obviously fearful of their leader's wrath. They stepped aside, huddling away in the corners of the diner, away from his intent gaze. Not that anyone could have seen his eyes. He was wearing shades, even at this late hour. The demigods knew why…

"You've got spunk, punk, no doubt about that," the man said, as Will reached the bar. "Or maybe it's just my charm. Traitors and enemies of Olympus feel drawn to me like the moth to the flame."

"Ares," Will inclined his head ever so slightly, careful to not give the normal men around them any reason to suspect the supernatural.

"No respect, I like that, punk," Ares said, before he let out a bellowing laugh. "Where is my punching bag? I would have thought that my invitation was obvious enough for him to understand?"

"Your invitation?" Phoebe asked tersely.

Ares chuckled darkly, as he looked at the huntress, "Did you really think that some random Satyr knows where I go and what I do?"

None of the four demigods found an answer to that, as the looked wide eyed at the god. Had they really been played this easily? By a son of Zeus no less? They had been so careful to cover their tracks… for nothing…

"So, where is Jackson?"

"Percy… he is on a quest to save the goddess Artemis..."

"What a waste," Ares spat, "He would be doing all of us a favor by letting that wretched woman rot in whatever whole they have hidden her in."

"You dare!" Phoebe spat, barely restrained by Naomi and Will.

"What a temper. Wonderful! A pity you aren't one of mine," Ares said, as he regarded Phoebe closely, "you are wasted on the likes of Artemis. Such unrestrained passion and fury, what you could do as my champion."

"I would never serve a pig like your," she spat in return.

Once more Will cursed his luck, that he was forced to endure the presence of Lady Artemis most troublesome servant. The girl was literally the most annoying pain in the ass he had ever encountered. He really wondered how Percy had endured her company, years ago.

"Ares, we are looking for someone," Will said, in an attempt to steer the topic of the conversation away from Phoebe.

A feral grin spread on the gods face, as he looked at Will and lowered his shades slightly, revealing the fiery pits that were his eyes. It was a truly frightening sight to behold and it reminded Will once more that this god was technically his enemy now. Ares was still loyal to his father, at least to a point and all children of the sun had been declared traitors.

"How audacious," Ares replied, "but you have guts. So I will give you one chance to prove yourself worthy of my time."

"And what is it you want from us?"

His grinned widened, if that was possible at that point, as he pointed at another person in the room. "You see that woman? She has my favorite sword. Bring it back to me and I will answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge."

Will looked at the woman Ares had pointed at. She was tall, taller than him, and strong. Her bare arms were packed with muscles. And she looked directly at him, her grin just as dangerous as that of the war god.

But despite every warning and every worst case scenario his mind was conjuring before his inner eye, he still approached her. It was obvious that she knew why he was coming, as she bound her pitch black hair in a low ponytail, likely to keep it from getting in her face during a fight.

"Now look what the cat dragged in!" She said, "So the dunce has finally managed to compel someone to get his favorite toy back. I hope you like pain, boy, there will be lots of it."

"Oh, but not the face, Enyo. He has such a pretty face, it would be a shame to destroy it," the other woman at the table said.

Will took a step back, as he realized who he was just about to face. Enyo, Ares' twin sister. He was so dead… especially when this meant that the other woman was none other than Eris. He should have expected Ares to bring his whole gang, but now… now there was no turning back.

But as he was about to get ready for the beating of his life, Phoebe pushed past him, rage visible on her face.

"Stay out of this, idiot. That bitch is mine!"

"Ho ho, so you are still alive, my foolish little daughter," Enyo mocked.

"So you do remember," Phoebe spat, "Good. I've got four thousand years of mother issues to get rid of and it is easier when you know why I will dismember you!"

"Brave words, daughter," Enyo chuckled, "Phobos, Deimos, make sure no one interferes. Time to finally teach my wayward daughter that I will not allow such disrespect."

And without further ado, Enyo and Phoebe jumped at each other, to fight, not just for Ares' sword, but for their own, very personal reasons. And as Will, Austin and Naomi were held back by Phobos and Deimos, Eris merely sat next to Ares, a drink in her hand as she enjoyed the chaos and strife. The war god's foolish plan had worked marvelously to lighten her mood...

* * *

 **A/N: So, at long last we see how the story continues and hey, Bianca showed up to say hello as well...**

 **Will's group is a whole lot of fun to write. It allows me to give side characters some attention, who have only been named briefly in the books. It allows a lot of creativity, since we know only very little about them. So Will, Phoebe, Austin, Lee and Naomi will see some more action in the future.**

 **And finally Bianca has come to get more attention. As one of the harbingers, her role will be of great importance in this and the next story. Her erratic behavior will also be explained later, maybe parts of it will be revealed next chapter.**

 **So another Titan says hello in this chapter. She isn't much of a main character, but Themis is very interesting. She is for all intents and purposes the personification of divine law and order, as well as good counsel. She was the original oracle, before it changed owners until Apollo received it from his father. Themis was also Zeus' second consort. In fact Zeus is the only known lover of Themis, quite astounding, considering that the rest of her family shagged pretty much everything, no questions asked. The Horae mentioned in this chapter are Themis' and Zeus' daughters. Dike (justice), Eunomia (order) and Eirene (peace) were the second of several triads of daughters. I chose them because of what they represent and they do their job quite nicely.**

 **And finally Ares little gang. I really wanted to bring back Eris and Enyo for quite some time. Their appearance in my first story had been brief, but a lot of people enjoyed them and their relationship with Ares. Enyo is Ares' twin sister, a goddess of war. Together with Eris, the embodiment of strife and chaos, and Ares' sons Phobos (fear) and Deimos (dread), Enyo follows Ares into battle. In fact the four (Enyo, Eris, Phobos and Deimos) are depicted on Ares' shield. I was quite of sad when they never showed up in the books, even though all four are essential to Ares' role as the god of war.**


	6. VI - Teaser

**Hiho. After a very long hiatus I can at the very least give you all a sign that this story has not been abandoned. I know it is only a teaser, but it is better than another 8 months of silence.**

 **My life has been very busy this year and I will have only little time to write in the next 1-2 months. But I have not given up on this story and I will finish it once I have the time it will take to write good chapters.**

* * *

It was quiet… so damn quiet. But why? Shouldn't there be yelling, busy demigods arguing and celebrating? The party wasn't over yet, right? Ariadne couldn't tell. Her head was pounding as if a horde of minotaurs had used it for tap dancing practice…

She heard someone nearby and assumed that it had to be either Percy or Will. Maybe Zoe, though she doubted that at the moment.

"What time is it, Percy?" she asked hoarsely. Her throat was so dry that it hurt? Why was it dry? She had drunk so much during the barbecue.

But she got no answer. Why didn't he answer her? She groaned in annoyance, as she slowly forced her eyes open. The light hurt her and only intensified the migraine. But her eyes widened as soon as she had gotten used to the light in the room.

This wasn't her father's house in Miami. And this certainly wasn't some hospital. No, it looked more like a temple, the style and decoration that only Olympians would call pretty. Two giant statues dominated the room. A man and a woman, though she didn't recognize either of them.

And now she also the other person in the room. It was a young looking woman with soft wings that were covered by a rainbow colored shimmer. There was little doubt that she was an immortal, maybe even a goddess.

"Who are you?" she demanded to know.

The woman suddenly turned around and watched her quite curiously, before she quickly approached Ariadne. She stopped merely steps away from her.

"Are you feeling alright, sister?" the woman asked softly. "I apologize for the abruptness of my actions, but once I had found you, I just couldn't wait any longer. They said so terrible, terrible things about you. They said that you had faded, but I knew that had lied! They only wanted to keep you for themselves!"

Ariadne was more than confused now. Just what was this madwoman raving about?

"Sister?" she asked, maybe a bit harsher than she had intended. But her raspy voice made everything sound like an accusation, "Are you a daughter of Apollo as well?"

"Apollo!" the woman mutter, an outraged look on her face. "Why would you ever insult me so, sister? I have nothing to do with this usurper. He has stolen our brother's powers, but fear not, I already have a plan to take them back. Helios may be gone, but we will share his powers among us."

Helios? This woman's brother was the Titan Helios? Just what was going on?

Ariadne tried to stand up, but her limbs wouldn't obey her. It was almost as if she was paralyzed from neck down. But she could feel the cold stone floor underneath her bare feet, so whatever was causing it, this woman was likely responsible.

"Don't worry, the spell will wear off in a few hours, now that you are awake. For some time I had feared that it had been too strong. It would have killed a demigod, but for us Titan's it should have merely put you to sleep for some hours. Yet you have slept for a week already..." the woman began to ramble, but Ariadne had stopped listening after the demigod part…

The spell would have killed a demigod… But she is a demigod… or not?

The earth around them rumbled suddenly and the woman fell silent. But the weird smile that spread on her lips now was even more disconcerting than her insane prattling before.

"He is here," Ariadne wasn't sure whether she would want to know who **he** is. "Father is here. He will surely know how to help you."

"Help me? With what?"

"Your memory, silly. Those accursed gods must have tempered with it, but we will make it all right again," the woman said.

And then **he** entered. A gigantic man, muscular with glowing skin that had the color of polished pennies. A golden armor with golden weapons shone in the light, a bit like her father's, though it all looked much harsher. And his eyes, which glowed like little suns, focused on her, she shuddered in fear.

"Why have you called me here, Eos?" the man's voice was just as harsh as he looked and even the woman recoiled slightly, as if she expected to be struck by him.

"Father… I have found her! I have found Selene. Look, she is right here," Eos said eagerly, as she lead her father towards Ariadne.

Apollo's daughter slowly realized what dangerous situation she had found herself in. The other to occupants of the room are Titans. Eos and her father, Hyperion. Hyperion, the Titan of Light, Fire and Power… Hyperion, the right-hand-man of Kronos… she was so screwed.

And Hyperion slowly approached her, an annoyed look on his bearded face. He watched her silently. For a long time no one spoke and the longer the silence stretched, the more Ariadne's nervousness grew.

"Are you trying to insult me, Eos?" Hyperion asked furiously.

Again Eos recoiled, her arms up to fend of the attack against her head that she had expected to come. Only feebly she could answer, "But father… this is really Selene..."

"Foolish girl," Hyperion shouted, "Selene is dead! Both of your siblings have perished because they got too involved with Olympus and Kronos worthless children!"

"NO," Eos insisted, "She is right here. Her eyes and hair may be different, but this is her. Can't you feel her power?"

Hyperion did not answer immediately, instead he got closer to Ariadne and grabbed her by her throat. "Power… yes. Selene's power courses through her veins. But this is not Selene," the Titan muttered. "This little goddess you have caught is her offspring."

Eos looked crestfallen as she heard this and continued with her denial, "No… it can't be..."

"This one is the daughter of Selene, yes. Selene and that foolish peacock Apollo," Hyperion muttered.

Ariadne would have gaped in disbelief had she not been so busy with trying to breath. Hyperion still had her throat in a tight grip, which made every breath taxing and shallow. But her eyes were wide as she heard this. She can still remember her mother… at least glimpses of her. Her mother had been mortal! Or had it all been a lie? Why would her father keep such a secret? And did Lady Artemis know any of this? Was this the reason why she had been the treated with such favoritism?

Hyperion finally let go of her and took a step back. But his eyes never left Ariadne. Far from it, they began roaming and Apollo's daughter knew that this would not end well for her.

"A bit underdeveloped for a goddess," Hyperion muttered. "But she will do."

"What do you mean, father?" Eos asked, her voice small and her whole body language resembling that of a beaten dog.

A cruel smirk spread on Hyperion's lips, before he answered, "This world will soon change. My brother is about to return and once he is back, we will crush the gods and all who would oppose us!"

"Kronos..." Eos whispered in fear.

"Yes. Soon we will rule this world once more and when that time comes, I will have need of new children. Stronger children than you three. This goddess holds the powers of both Helios and Selene, she will serve my purpose well," Hyperion said, as he chuckled darkly.

Ariadne, meanwhile, felt like she had to puke. Hyperion didn't even see the need to insinuate like most other immortals like to do. He just stated what he wanted her to do… and the mere idea of bearing this monster's children made even suicide a more tempting option…

"Eos, keep this one safe. She shall be my first consort. Don't fail me again or you will regret it," and with that parting threat, Hyperion left.

The moment he was gone, Eos fell to her knees and began to sob. Ariadne wasn't sure whether this was caused by her father's emotional abuse of his children or the certainty that he sister was dead. But in all truth, she didn't care either way. Her own future looked bleak now. She would have to escape… or hope that her friends will find her in time. The only other option was a final one… and it would only be her last resort…

* * *

She watched from the shadows, as the group of demigods slowly made their way out of the forest. It had taken her considerably longer to track her prey down this time. She blames the stupid monsters Atlas has sent with her. They are big, loud and utterly moronic in every way. She had no idea how the general could ever expect to conquer anything with them. All they were really good at was smashing things…

But it mattered little now. She had finally found her targets. Soon she would be able to return and get her friends away from Atlas. Not a moment too soon…

"Just watch me now, Nightshade. I will destroy you and show your mangled corpse to your beloved goddess. You all will pay for what you have put me through," Deianira said, as she chuckled darkly.

She looked over her shoulder, where some of the more intelligent of her monsters were waiting for orders.

"Prepare to attack. Show them no mercy. But remember, Nightshade is mine," she ordered.

The monsters acted swiftly and disappeared to prepare their brethren. Deianira stayed behind to prepare on her own. The moment had finally come. This would be her personal revenge. The moment of reckoning had finally come...


	7. VII

**So, after far too long I can finally give those few remaining readers a real new chapter. I am really sorry for the long hiatus, but there had been many reasons why it took me this long to continue the story. The biggest reason would be that I had a severe case of writer's block and some issues with depression and all that dark bullshit... It was really hard to motivate myself these past few months and the dwindling number of readers and followers for the story had not helped either. I will try to update a bit more frequently from now on but I can't make promises.**

 **Okay, for now, have fun with the new chapter. See it as an early Christmas present...**

* * *

Apollo and Asteria followed Themis silently, as the Titaness lead them deeper into the winding tunnels beneath the ruined temple. Her daughters, the Horae, walked behind them and at every moment Apollo was sure that he could feel he burning gazes of Dike and Eunomia. Only the presence of their other sister, Eirene, would seem to stay their hands. But Apollo couldn't bring himself to care for their petty grudge against him. His mind was too focused on whatever Themis had in store for him. His purpose here was only to find Ariadne.

But as they ventured further into Themis' sanctuary, he couldn't ignore the dark and foreboding feeling that seeped into his mind. Asteria seemed unperturbed, as she followed her aunt. Unlike him, she seemed to trust Themis. But when Apollo looked at this woman, he mostly saw his father's consort, not an ally.

Soon enough they had reached a large chamber, below the temple. The room was bare. Neither furniture nor any ornaments could be seen. Only a few torches that shed just enough light to allow them to see that nothing was hidden in the corners.

"Why are we here?" Apollo asked, quite impatient.

"Apollo," Asteria chided her nephew, "All in due time."

"Time is just about the only we do not have," Apollo replied. For all the countless eons he had lived, he had arrived at a point where time was an issue. Not because of his own mortality, but the mortal danger his daughter was in now.

"Your fear for the daughter of sun and moon is justified," Themis began, "She is now in the hands of one who would not harm her."

"Eos likely serves Kronos. She has attacked my sister as well. She has killed Artemis' hunters and kidnapped my daughter. Who knows what they will do to her!"

"Eos is but a misguided child. She is not the one you should fear. The daughter of sun and moon is still a mortal shell, bereft of her rightful inheritance. She may just as well burn in the light of her captor unless her blood frees her from the lands of the sun."

"Now I see why my kids hate the oracle so much," Apollo sighed.

He had to wonder what Themis tried to tell him with this. He knew that Ariadne was not immortal. By all means, she should have been born as a goddess. But by the time their daughter had been born, Selene had lost all of her powers and Ariadne had inherited none of her mother's former strength… It was why he had given her to Artemis after Selene's passing, to buy himself the time needed to find a way to give his daughter what should have been rightfully hers, to begin with. The chance that she was really mortal was too big to ignore...

"You are not making this any easier for us, Themis," Asteria said, as she watched Apollo. "But I guess this all we can get."

"The Oracle is always ambiguous, Asteria. There is no certainty in the future and the prophecies always tend to change the future of those involved. Though I have to admit, that someone else is meddling with the flow of time as we speak. Things have happened that should never have been. I do hope that the queen knows what powers she is about to unleash with her ambitious plan," Themis replied calmly. The Titaness adopted a worried look and turned away from the group, "Kronos' return is imminent, child, and with him, we will see the end of an era. But it is not possible to tell whose era will come to an end."

"The queen has only one goal and you know it," Asteria told her, "We only try to preserve what little is left of our world before it is too late. The world has become unhinged and neither Kronos nor Zeus will do what is necessary to prevent the bleak future that awaits us."

Apollo could see how passionate his aunt was about Rhea's plans. He himself had fallen for the Titan queen's machinations, but somehow he was sure that Asteria and Lelantos had not been tricked into joining the queen. So either they knew more than they let on or else…

"I understand, child," Themis told her with a sigh.

"Then help us," Asteria pleaded, "Not just in finding Selene's daughter and legacy, but help us restore the Golden Age, as it was meant to be."

"I cannot, as you should very well know, child," The answer came swift and with a hint of finality, "I have to remain impartial. I am not allowed to play favorites, that is not the purpose of justice."

Asteria looked dejected for a moment but said nothing else. This was the only answer they should have expected from Themis and they couldn't even fault her for it. Apollo was glad that she had helped at least a little with finding Ariadne, but the Titaness would not take sides.

"But where my powers end, others can help in my stead. Be it through their service or their death," Themis continued. She looked towards her daughters, who stood a few feet away from her, huddled together in a small group so they could talk in hushed voices without disturbing their mother. "Eirene!"

"Yes, mother!"

"Gather you, sisters. My fate is no longer yours," Themis told her daughter, "Go to Queen Rhea's side and aid her as you have aided me. She will find your service invaluable, I'm sure."

"As you wish, mother," Eirene replied obediently. The Horae of peace was the calmest of the three and pacified her belligerent sisters with her mere presence. Even now Dike would have argued against her mother's decisions, but instead, she followed Eirene's lead and bowed deeply before all three Horae left the room swiftly. Their task was clear and they still had several other sisters to gather before they would make their way to Othrys.

"Thank you, honored aunt," Asteria said, as she bowed before Themis herself. "I shall treat them as if they were my own flesh and blood."

Themis ignored Asteria entirely, instead, she swept past her and approached Apollo once more. She cupped his cheeks gently between her hands and looked directly into his eyes. They remained like this for some long moments. Apollo wasn't sure what Themis was thinking about at that moment, but to him, her skin felt cold and her eyes were quite disturbing to look at, as they stared so intently into his own. It made him feel like a foolish young boy who was about to get chided for some folly or another...

"You have been a pawn in a greater game yourself," she sighed, "You have been since the day you were born, all those years ago. I remember that time well. Your mother and her struggle to bring you into this world, despite Hera's attempts to prevent it. Even then you had not been the master of your own fate. But the true face of the mastermind remains clouded even to me. Walk tall, Apollo, even as a pawn you play a pivotal role. Your daughter and your champion depend on you." Then she let go of him and walked away. She said no more before she disappeared into the darkness of the underground tunnels.

"What was that all about?" Apollo asked, still perplexed the way Themis had acted.

Asteria looked rather somber for a moment before she forced a smile back onto her lips. "Themis has always been… cryptic. But we got what we came for. Not the clearest answer, but one we can work with, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm not so sure," he sighed. "But we should return now. Grandmother might know the answers to this riddle," he mused.

"Yes, the queen might know."

* * *

Thalia watched in silence, as the other demigods in their group began to erect their camp for the night. How they thought it would be a good idea to sleep out in the wilderness of New Mexico's vast plains, when there were much safer hostels less than an hour away. She didn't really like the outdoors. Too many monsters just waiting for a chance to attack. She had not forgotten her failed attempt to escape the monster horde her uncle had sicced on her. How could she, when to her these events were only weeks ago, not years like they had been for everyone else? But as it seems, Jackson and his lapdogs had some unnatural fervor for outdoor camping.

For some time her eyes followed Percy. In the weeks after she had woken up again, this boy had quickly become the bane of her existence. Everyone was fighting, the demigod camp and Olympus were in an uproar and by the looks of it, they had not even hit rock bottom yet. All because of this boy. Just watching him strut around, giving orders and acting as if he is some sort of god himself. As a daughter of Zeus the other demigods were looking up to her for guidance and though she had been mortified by the idea to take on such a responsibility, she was left with little choice in the matter. Someone had to stop Jackson and by the looks of it, only another child of the Big Three would be able to bring him down.

But even the hunters seemed to follow his lead for crying out loud. Zoe Nightshade, another person on Thalia's shit list, showed little reason to believe that she was the right-hand woman of a man-hating goddess. Instead, she seemed all buddy buddy with Jackson and even deferred to him on most occasions. It just showed how dangerous Jackson had truly become and by now she wouldn't even be surprised, had he been the one to abduct the goddess Artemis in the first place. Some wicked form of treachery and deals with dark powers would surely allow even him to trap a goddess...

The only ones not doing his bidding are her and Malcolm. Oh how she wished that Annabeth was with them right now, she would know a way to knock that boy of his pedestal. But Annabeth was gone, captured by the enemy and now it looked like she was a prisoner of the same guy that has the goddess Artemis in his clutches. She could only hope that he friend would survive for long enough

"Stare any harder and everyone will believe that you have the hots for him, prissy," Clarisse said, as she sat down next to Zeus' daughter.

Thalia looked as if she had tasted something foul, and looked at the other girl aghast, "That's disgusting." She wanted to puke just thinking about it.

"Just saying," Clarisse shrugged before she took a flask from a nearby backpack and took a swig. "He isn't that good-looking, but he has his moments. You surely wouldn't be the first to fall for him. Gods know I had to knock some sense into the heads of more than one of my sisters."

"How can you even trust that traitor?"

"Might makes right, or so my father says," Clarisse replied. "And I really don't like those lying Athena' bastards."

Thalia's temper flared as she heard this. She knew well enough that Clarisse held Annabeth and her siblings in contempt for some reason, but so far she had not demanded to know the reason why. Yet no matter the reason, Annabeth had been one of her oldest and most loyal friends, before and after she had been turned into a tree and she wouldn't let anyone badmouth her.

"Just what is your damn problem!" Thalia spat in anger.

"My problem?" Clarisse asked, equally incensed by Thalia's tone, "My problem is that I have to listen to you whining and moaning about traitors and all this shit when then ones who betrayed us in the sea of monsters had been Annabeth and her asshole brother. The only reason why I stayed with the camp was to protect my idiot siblings who seem to have the combined intelligence of a bunny on steroids, not to watch you divide us even more than we already are thanks to your old man."

After her rant, Clarisse stormed off. On the way she grabbed her brother, Sherman, and dragged him away from the camp. Thalia had not expected such an outburst at first, but the more she thought about the more she realized that unlike many other demigods at CampHald-blood, the daughter of Ares had always been the most obstinate and pushy. But she wondered what exactly Clarisse had meant when she accused Annabeth of treason… The only other person she could ask would be Malcolm, but Annabeth's brother had obviously heard the commotion and was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Percy had no idea what the commotion had been about, but when it comes to Zeus or most of his offspring, he didn't care unless their quarrels pose a threat to him or those close. But by the looks of it, Thalia's issues had been solely with Clarisse at the moment.

"That insufferable girl. We would have reached our goal by now, had we just ditched her somewhere," Zoe sighed.

She had just returned from a short scouting trip, only to witness yet another insignificant moment of Thalia Grace and the destructive temper of Zeus and his progeny. There was no look of contempt on her face. At least not in the same way Percy made his feelings clear. She had gotten better at keeping her feelings in check. Percy was sure that he was the reason for that. He had irritated her so often in the last few years, he had caused so many quarrels with her, that she had inevitably gotten better at tuning out the annoying behavior of those around her.

"I'm more concerned about what Clarisse will do to Sherman," Percy replied. He knew all too well how vicious the daughter of Ares could be in a spar, especially when she is angry. "Poor sod. But have you seen anything out there?"

"Nothing. The whole area is quiet," Zoe replied, "Too quiet. I have Susan and Lyra continue the search, but I doubt that they will find much. Something has scared all life away from our camp, but I doubt that our enemies will show themselves so soon."

"I don't know. I can't describe it, but I have this odd feeling that this will be one of those nights..."

"Those nights?" she asked.

"No moon, no light, no sounds. Almost as if the darkness itself is about to snatch us," Percy said.

"You are worried that Bianca will make another attempt?"

"I couldn't fault her for trying. And I am so tempted to just let her go and try her luck against Thalia," Percy groaned, "But it wouldn't be worth it."

"I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, but why would I try to fight her?"

Percy almost jumped in surprise, when Bianca suddenly appeared from the darkness near him. This was certainly a very unnerving skill of hers. To appear from the shadows and disappear just as quickly, without a sound… he wasn't sure whether he was creeped out or envious.

"What are you doing here?" Zoe demanded to know, immediately expecting another attack. "I don't know how you survived last time, but I won't fail again."

"I am not here to fight," Bianca said, as she raised her hands in mock surrender. "I need to talk to my cousin. Alone."

"Which one? Me or the amazingly short tempered pinecone over there?" Percy asked. "On the other hand, I doubt that you would talk to Thalia… you are here to kill her, aren't you?"

"Why would I try to kill her?" Bianca asked, visibly confused by this.

Percy was at loss for words at first. Either Bianca was the best actress he had ever met or she suddenly suffered from severe case of amnesia. He really couldn't be sure. But she was definitely not the same girl he had first met in Las Vegas. Her stint in the Underworld had changed her and he had no idea how much.

"Percy, she is trying to trick us. We should warn the others in case the Cerberus is waiting for another chance to attack," Zoe warned.

"Well," Bianca began. She shuffled a bit, as if she was nervous for some reason, "Fluffy is never far away from me. But he wouldn't attack unless provoked."

"Last time you attacked us… well and Fluffy was with you," Percy told her. This all was truly strange… and he wasn't even commenting on the name she had given the Cerberus. That was just another brand of insanity that he really did not want to hear about.

"I… I know. It is part of why I'm here today. I just wanted to apologize for that..."

"Really?" Percy's confusion only grew with each passing moment.

"Don't trust her, Percy. Each word she spits out is a lie," Zoe warned him, "This entire story is too bizarre."

"Bianca, you don't really make much sense. I mean it is good that you want to apologize and all, but last time you were kind of… well crazy. You fought against us to kill Zeus' little darling,"

"I do remember fighting against you and this hunter, but I don't remember why..." Bianca explained, "But Master Thanatos demanded that I make up for my blunder and come here."

"To apologize," Percy asked, just to clarify. "For something that you don't even remember."

"I remember fighting, but I don't remember why..." she sounded dismayed by this and deep down Percy was sure that she was telling the truth. But the only explanation for this would be that Thanatos or her father had done something to

her that had erased her memory. But why would they do that?

"On my father's orders, I am here to help you free the goddess Artemis," Bianca continued, this time with much more conviction.

"Really?"

"Yes, Percy. I am here to help… if you let me."

"Why would you do that? If this is just another trick to get a chance at killing Thalia, then you can just leave now because we are not buying it," Zoe growled. She had her bow in hand and an arrow nocked, just in case.

"Wait, Zoe. I don't think she is lying. She really doesn't remember why she came," Percy interjected. He, too, was cautious. He had more than enough reason to mistrust just about everyone who wasn't part of small group of friends or a child of Apollo. And Bianca had attacked him before. But as he looked at her now, he couldn't help himself but believe that her reasons for being here were truly the orders to help with this insane quest.

Zoe, however, wasn't convinced. "This is a trick. She will try to kill Thalia as soon as she gets the chance."

"Why would I want to kill this girl?" Bianca asked, still confused about the whole situation.

"You really forgot about that?" Percy asked in disbelief. "Her father is Zeus. Remember the big angry dude with the lightning rod and the extremely short fuse?"

"Yes..."

"Your dad may be his brother, but they don't really like each other. My dad and Zeus don't get along either. And we poor sods have to suffer the consequences of their bickering."

"And that is why I should kill Zeus' daughter, my cousin?" Bianca asked.

"NO!" Percy almost shouted, "No killing. Thalia might be the most annoying and self-centered asshole I have met in a long time and believe me, I have met a lot of them, but we mustn't kill her or let her die or her old man will go on a rampage of epic proportions."

"This doesn't even make sense..." Bianca lamented.

Percy chuckled and shook his head in dismay, "Tell me about it. But the last time we met, you fought against us because you wanted to kill Thalia. I don't know what has happened to you or why you don't remember anything of this, but no matter what, don't kill the annoying leprechaun."

"Leprechaun?" Zoe snorted with laughter.

Percy was speechless again, only this time because he had never before seen Zoe snort. Despite the gravity of their situation, he had finally managed to elicit some sort of positive reaction from her and even if it was only for a brief moment, he quite likes to see a smiling Zoe for once.

"Alright, I am really confused right now and I am not sure whether this is a good or bad idea, but you can stay," Percy said. "But we will keep a close eye on you."

"More than one. Betray us and I will find a way to end you," Zoe growled, as she looked darkly at Bianca.

Percy sighed, as he saw the brief smile completely vanish from the huntress' face. "We should probably hit the hay. It is a bit of a hike to the next town and we need to get back to the real civilization if we want to make the final push towards our goal."

"Why are you even out here?" Bianca asked, "I was surprised when my master told me you are here..."

Percy was about to answer, but a dark look and a warning from Zoe stopped him, "Not one word about this, Percy."

"Right..." he agreed. What else could he do but keep silently unless he had a wish to give Zoe some new reasons to turn him into a pin cushion. So he said nothing and all three remained silent.

The only sounds that could be heard were those of the campfire they had lit and the muttering of the other demigods in their group. In the not so far distance, they could also he the sounds of battle, likely Clarisse's attempt to vent her frustration by breaking her brother's nose… as if Sherman had need of that, with that crooked potato in his face…

But suddenly the calm of the night was shattered by a loud scream. Zoe was immediately on high alert, as she had clearly recognized the voice.

"Zoe!" One of the two hunters came running, her bow in her hand. "Monsters. A whole lot of monsters are coming. They got Susan!"

"Not one night of peace," Percy cursed, "To arms, we are under attack."

Before the others could fully grasp what was happening, the monsters were already upon them. All kinds of monsters, all sizes, and colors, all teeth and claws Percy had seen so far. And among them were others he not seen before.

"This had to be one those nights," Percy cursed before he drew his sword and ran towards the monsters. The blade of his sword was gleaming, as Helios' flames danced around the weapon.

He cut through the first few smaller monsters with relative ease, before he faced the first of the most dangerous foes. He chuckled when he realized that it was the Minotaur, his dear old friend.

"Briefs! Long time no see," Percy chuckled. The monster had obviously not forgotten their last encounter… or the ones before that. "Sadly I don't have time to play with you today. So just do your thing and burst into dust." He jumped to the side to avoid the monster's angry attack before he rammed his sword into the exposed back. A loud roar was all the Minotaur managed before it was sent back to Tartarus for another few years.

"Is this normal?" Bianca asked, as she suddenly appeared next to him, scaring the crap out of Percy once more.

"Will you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" she asked in confusion, as she killed a hellhound that got awfully clingy.

"This shadow thing," Percy replied in indignation, "I'm just trying to kill some monsters and then you appear from literally nowhere!"

"It's who I am, what I am," she replied defensively.

"Stop babbling, start killing things!" Clarisse yelled, as she ran past Percy and rammed her spear into the next best monster she could get her hands on. Her brother followed hot on her heels, to finish the beast off.

Percy got a moment to catch his breath, as the monsters were not nearly dumb enough to throw themselves onto his blade. Instead, the enemies searched for easier pickings, which they believed to find in his companions. He saw Kayla struggling slightly before Thalia Grace attacked the monsters as if she was in a beserker rage. He couldn't see Malcolm anywhere, but on the other hand, he wouldn't even be sorry to see him become the chewing toy of some monster.

"There is no end to this," Bianca moaned. "Just where do they get all these monsters."

"Tartarus, Kronos is down there getting chummy with all kinds of nasty things… I really hope that is not a family thing. Incest and insanity are bad enough for the favorite family pastimes," Percy said, as he rejoined the fight. "Bianca now would be a really great time for Fluffy to come out and play."

The daughter of Hades, grinned before she disappeared into the shadows. For a moment Percy wasn't sure whether she had heard him or just made a run for it after seeing that they were in a very difficult situation. But then the Cerberus burst from the shadows and crashed into the waves of monsters.

* * *

As Percy and Bianca did their utmost to thrash just about any monster they could find, Zoe, Kayla and the last of Zoe's hunters had joined up slightly behind the frontline, to thin out the enemies ranks with as many arrows they could unleash upon the monsters.

"Is that the Cerberus?" Kayla asked in shock, as they saw Percy fight side by side with one of the most frightening monsters the Greek Mythology had to offer.

"Cut the chatter, we need to get rid of those monsters before they overrun Percy and the others. Just try not to hit the Cerberus for now. We will see why that beast is here once we are done with the rest," Zoe ordered sternly.

Truth be told, she was still not sure whose side Bianca was really on, but at least at the moment she was fighting on the same side as Percy. That wouldn't mean that she hadn't a very special arrow just for Bianca, should she decide to attack them again.

"Zoe! Watch out," Lyra, Zoe's last remaining sister from the Hunt, screamed before she pushed her lieutenant out of the way.

It took Zoe a moment to regain her wits and pull herself up from the ground. Lyra had fallen onto her, so she had to shove the other girl off first. But to her shock, Lyra wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing. She was dead, with one black arrow stuck in her back.

"What a waste. Just why do they show the likes of you such loyalty?"

Zoe's eyes quickly found the owner of the voice. The familiar face of another sister from the Hunt… no, a former sister. One of the fallen, who had disappeared without a trace.

"Deianira! You dare to murder one of your sisters?"

"I didn't hate Lyra. I always pitied her and her blind loyalty to you and your mistress. For her to die for you… it hurts to watch such ill placed self-sacrifice. You and your mistress are the only ones I want to see dead."

"Zoe, who..." Kayla began, but Zoe cut her off.

"This is no fight for you, Kayla. Run, help the others. I have one sister to avenge and one to punish," Zoe ordered.

Kayla hesitated for a moment, her eyes moving from Zoe to Deianira and back before she turned around and ran towards Percy and the others. "I'll go and get help."

"She won't get the chance," Deianira said with a dark chuckle.

Zoe expected the former huntress to raise her bow and shoot at Kayla, but instead she took something from a satchel she had strapped to her belt and pushed it into the ground before her.

"You know, Zoe, your mistress is nothing but a hate filled slaver. But the alternatives are not much better," Deianira said, her voice filled with bitterness, "But for every sacrifice, we get something in return. I'm not proud of what I had to do for this, but it certainly is my favorite plaything now."

Zoe wasn't sure what Deianira was talking about, but she raised her bow and aimed at the girl, ready to strike her down. But suddenly her attention shifted towards the ground before the girl and the monsters that suddenly grew like plants from whatever Deianira had planted. Five skeleton warriors, fully dressed in greek armor. Zoe wasted no time and started shooting at them, but to her horror, her arrows had no effect on these skeletons at all.

"Don't waste your time. Nothing can stop my Spartoi," Deianira said. She cackled darkly, before she gave the five monsters her first order, "Nightshade is mine. Go and crush the others."

Zoe tried hard to remember whether she had seen these monsters before, but she couldn't remember them. But she couldn't follow the five warriors, as they stormed with unnatural speed towards Percy's group. Deianira made sure that she would be in Zoe's way.

"We still have a lot of unfinished business, Zoe," Deianira spat.

"You are insane. You betrayed the hunt. You murdered one of your sisters and work with the enemies of Olympus!"

"No, Zoe. For the first time in over a century, I am free. I have chosen my own path and pay the price for my own decisions. Don't think I have forgotten that it had been you who brought me to that slaver you call your mistress," Deianira spat.

"I saved you!"

"You should have let me die with my family. I should have died on the burning streets of Chicago with them, instead, you came and saved me. Only me!" Deianira's anger exploded and she attacked Zoe. "You left my family to burn. My mother, my father… my little brother!" She shot one black arrow after another at Zoe, forcing her to seek cover to escape the barrage before she could start any real attack of her own.

"I remember that day. How could I not..."

She had been there to pick up one of Ares' daughters. A girl who had lived alone on the streets, who had been abandoned by her mother's family. Lady Artemis had heard about the girl from Ares when the god of war had been piss drunk and moaning about how week his latest offspring was. But the girl was already dead when she found her. Consumed by the flaming hell that had been the city of Chicago. But instead of the demigod she had come for, she had found one other survivor, a frail girl that they had later named Deianira when she had refused to speak about herself. In all her years with the hunt, the events of that day had been among the most grueling… a nightmare she could never fully shake off.

"Spare me your lies. How many girls have you captured for your mistress? Hundreds? Thousands? How many of them had been forced into the goddess' service without ever asking? How many of them have been sacrificed for her selfish delusions? Answer me," Deianira yelled.

"All we did was meant to save your life, Deianira. You would have died without the blessing of Lady Artemis," Zoe replied.

Just the amount of anger… no, the utter hatred in Deianira's voice, it was surprising. The girl had taken well to the life of a Hunter, even though she had been human before. She had been calm, the silent and collected type. A pillar of support for those around her, especially those who had suffered before entering the hunt. Zoe would have never expected that there was such fury hidden by her calm mask.

"You should have left me to die. You had no qualms to leave my brother in that blazing hell. I may have forgotten much in those long years since then. My family's home, the faces of my parents, even my own name, all lost to time. But I still remember his feeble pleading. He was alive and had to watch as I was saved and he was left behind to burn. But then again, he was just a boy and you and your mistress have made it clear that their lives mean nothing to you."

Deianira obviously needed a moment to reign in her raging feelings. Zoe used this moment of weakness to counter attack. She let go of her bow and pulled out her hunting knives instead. Deianira had obviously expected a ranged attack and was thrown off balance.

"All we have done was help you," Zoe told the girl, as she tried to subdue her former sister.

"You only help yourself," Deianira growled, "We already punished the goddess for enslaving us, but when I bring your corpse to her she will truly break. You are after all the only one she ever saw as her daughter… at least until Ariadne came along."

"So you want to kill her, too?"

"Ariadne is like me, free. She was saved from being forced into Artemis' service. And I owe her for giving me the courage to leave as well. If there is anyone I would ever consider a sister, it would be her."

By then they were both locked in close combat, trying to cut each other down. They rest of the world around them seemed far away and unimportant. All they could focus on was each other. It actually surprised Zoe just how well Deianira was able to keep up with her. It was obvious that Atlas had given Deianira more than just the monsters to make her more useful to him. Zoe could only wonder what else her father had done… and what he had demanded to get in return…

However, Deianira suddenly pushed away from Zoe and increased the distance between them.

"What a waste," Deianira scoffed, "So much for the undefeatable Spartoi."

Zoe didn't know what Deianira was talking about until she turned and looked towards where Percy and the others were fighting. It was just that moment that she could see the last of the skeletal warriors erupt into flames after he had been hit by Bianca's sword.

"Just what is that girl?" Deianira wondered, "There shouldn't have been a daughter of Hades here… and no Cerberus. I should have known that the General had none of those..."

"Give up, Deianira, you cannot win here," Zoe demanded.

But Deianira laughed at her, "You win this round, but it is a Pyrrhic victory." Then she turned around to flee.

Zoe grabbed her bow, ready to stop the girl when another pack of Hellhounds appeared from the dark night to attack her. She growled in anger when she had to let Deianira escape, so she could take out the monsters instead. Percy had been right, this was one of those nights…

* * *

"Enyo is really having fun tonight," Eris remarked, as she sat next to Ares at the bar. "I haven't seen her smile this ferociously in centuries. It is wonderful."

"Good, so that bloody woman will stop bitching for some time," Ares growled. "Let's see how long her daughter will last."

He grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the counter and took a long swig before he offered the bottle to Eris. She took it from him and drank just as much as he had.

"Leave it to the humans to make great alcohol. All our kin know in their golden city is wine, wine, and more wine. And their parties are shit," Eris said, "Maybe I should bring them another apple, to liven things up."

"Ha, I would even pay to see that," Ares commented, "Now look at that. Enyo's little blighter actually landed a hit." It really came as a surprise, especially that the girl had managed to draw blood. A small trail of golden ichor ran down from Enyo's nose, where Phoebe had hit her.

"It's easy to see the relation, they are both unhealthily violent and angry," Eris looked thoughtful for a moment, before she added, "Though, I am curious why Enyo never mentioned that she had a demigod daughter."

"She never liked being a mother. Our mother is shit, so why try and fail," Ares said before he took the bottle from Eris and downed the rest in one gulp. "Guess she can't run away from her motherly duties now. But what a waste that her daughter has to be one of Artemis little bastards."

"Yes, a pity," Eris agreed, "This girl would have been a marvelous addition to our little group. Your sons would have loved to have a cousin around that doesn't take their shit."

Ares laughed loudly, as he imagined the possibility.

"Uhm… hello? Are you too drunk already?"

Ares scowled, as he looked at the person that had dared to interrupt him. To his ire, he saw that it was the other Hunter, some frail little girl that surely wouldn't be able to survive half a minute in a one on one fight with him. Damn… he actually missed Jackson. Beating the boy to a bloody pulp had been the most fun he has had in the last two or three centuries. No matter what he did, the boy always got back up.

"What can we do for you, my dear," Eris asked sweetly.

"Is this yours?" the girl showed him a sword and much to Ares surprise, it was really his. "If not, I've got the others as well. Pick whichever you want," His eyes widened, even more, when he saw that she had somehow gotten her hands on the sword of Phobos and Deimos as well.

"Are you by any chance one of Hermes children?"

"Sorry, but no. My mom is Hecate," the girl told him. There was even some pride in her voice as she mentioned her mother. "So, is this yours?"

Ares grabbed his sword and swung it a bit, just to see whether it was the real deal and not just one of the nasty magic tricks Hecate and her children are so very fond of. But it turned out to be really his sword. The very sword Enyo had stolen from him after she had lost that bet when they watched Percy's TV show.

"It is mine," he admitted, "Fine, I'll talk once those two run out of steam."

"That might take a while," Eris commented idly before she ordered more drinks from the bartender. "Sit down, girl. And tell me your name."

"My name is Naomi," the girl said cautiously, as she sat down on the barstool right between Ares and Eris. It was obvious that she was more cautious than before, now that she was seated between two gods who could end her with as much as a flip of their fingers.

"Good," Eris said, as she took one of the glasses and offered it to Naomi, "Now, drink."

"I am really sure that I shouldn't drink alcohol..."

"Pah, has Artemis even kept you away from that small mercy? What a cruel existence," Ares groused.

"He is right, you should be old enough by now to do whatever you want. And Artemis isn't here, so trying something new shouldn't hurt," Eris told her, smirking widely, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I really shouldn't..."

"Nonsense. Surely you wouldn't wish to insult your hosts by denying such a simple request," Eris pressed on. And much to her satisfaction, Naomi did take the glass. But she only looked at the golden colored liquid with great suspicion.

"It's not poisoned. We don't do that here in our bar," Ares growled. "Booze, women and brawls, just the way we like it." His declaration was followed by a boisterous laugh before he ignored the glasses and took the new bottle to drink from it. "Get this over with, Enyo, I'm getting bored." Then he turned towards Naomi, "And you drink already."

Naomi didn't really have much of a choice at that moment. Not unless she wished to piss off Ares and who could tell just what kind of trouble that would bring. So she sniffed at the drink before she took a sip. But Ares still wasn't satisfied. The moment the glass touched her lips, the god grabbed her hand and forced her to drink the whole glass in one go. She had to cough, as the unfamiliar liquid burned in her throat.

"Oh, isn't she adorable. The last demigod we had here fell off his chair, but she is all strong and stubborn, trying to act unaffected," Eris gushed, "Maybe we should keep her. I really want to keep her."

"And listen to Artemis' bitching about stealing another one of her girls? I don't think so," Ares retorted.

"As if he Hunt has a future," Eris said with an exaggerate eye roll. "Half of them are dead, the rest has sided with that delightful son of Poseidon. The old grumpy man will never allow them to return to Artemis after this. So her loss our gain I would say."

Naomi would surely have objected, had she been in the right state of mind to listen. But for a girl that had stopped aging at the age of fifteen, that had never had alcohol before, Ares' favorite Whiskey had proven to be too much. But that didn't stop Eris from grabbing the girl and pulling her close.

"Hecate's children had always been the most fun to have around. All this power and such mischievous minds. We are gonna have so much fun," the goddess cooed. "We really need to renegotiate the terms of our assistance, don't you agree, Ares?"

"Pah, whatever," the god replied simply. "It's not like I have the answers they seek. But Jackson sure knows how to pick the most entertaining companions. Such a shame that my father wants him dead..."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, that is all for today.**

 **So Apollo is slowly finding more and more clues about Ariadne and Eos and Rhea gets new followers with each passing day. Soon they will no longer be able to hide that they are the third faction behind the scenes. With Olympus (Zeus), Othrys (Rhea) and Kronos' Titan forces, we will see a far different conflict soon.**

 **And of course, we had two characters who had been favorites of my readers in the past. Bianca, our resident Harbinger of the Underworld, who seems to suffer from selective memory loss and Deianira, Atlas' new right-hand-woman and former huntress of Artemis.**

 **Especially Deianira will play a far greater role in this story. Luke and his cronies are not on the frontlines this time and they will mostly fight Thalia and her friends, Deianira and other more powerful foes will hunt for Percy and those of his faction.**

 **Okay. I will try to have a new chapter in January if my muse does not make a run for it. But I can already say that next chapter will show new scenes with Ariadne and Eos, as well as some trouble for Triton... so until next time then...**


End file.
